YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

JAPAN

ITS ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND
ART MANUFACTURES

£y

IAPAN
ITS ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND
ART MANUFACTURES

BY

CHRISTOPHER DRESSER
Ph.D., F.L.S., etc.

LONDON
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
1882

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh,

PREFACE.
An apology is needed for adding to the number of our books on
Japan. We have heard of the ways of the Japanese, of the
peculiarities of their manners, of their feasts and festivals, of the
food they eat, and of the aspect of the country in which they live.
My excuse for writing is a simple one — I am a specialist.
An architect and ornamentist by profession, and having
knowledge of many manufacturing processes, I went to Japan to
observe what an ordinary visitor would naturally pass unnoticed.
As a specialist, and a specialist only, I submit this volume to
public notice. When in Japan I engaged the best native photo
grapher that I could find to take views for me ; thus I got not
only architectural edifices, but also architectural details. I also
engaged the best ornamentist in Kioto to make coloured drawings
of temple decorations for me.
Many will be surprised when I say that as yet the English
public know almost nothing, and even our architects very little,
of Japanese architecture. Coloured illustrations are needed to
give anything like a complete idea of the glories of Buddhistic
art ; yet I hope that my book may throw some little light on
Japanese building, and do something towards revealing the fact that
Japan has had a great architectural history, although I have no
chromatic illustrations. Ornament springs from architecture. I

vi PREFACE.
have therefore endeavoured to trace its origin and development ;
and for the first time, so far as I know, the growth of native con
ventional ornament is brought before the English reader.
Drawings of flowers, of birds, of fish, of insects, are all familiar
to us ; but it is not generally known that just as the Greeks, Moors,
and other peoples associated with their architecture certain conven
tional forms, so the Japanese have a national style of conventional
ornament ; yet this is the case. To me the fact was almost
unknown up to the time that I visited the country, although I
had been an earnest student of Oriental art for nearly thirty years.
In my book I attempt to explain how the architecture resulted
from climatic and religious influences, and how the ornaments
with which domestic objects are figured, and the very finish of
the objects themselves, are traceable to religious teachings.
As a guest of the nation, I was not only permitted to enter
sacred edifices (some of which had never before been trodden by
European feet), but I had also opportunities for studying all forms
of art industry. For the privileges enjoyed I shall ever feel under
a debt of gratitude to the members of the Japanese Government.
I had also the honour of presentation to His Majesty the Mikado,
who himself ordered that I should have every facility for seeing
what I wished.
While in Japan I made a daily record of what I saw and did ;
and this record was roughly illustrated. I either bought or had
taken for me about a thousand photographs, some being fifteen
inches by eighteen, the others about nine inches by twelve. I
had a multitude of small coloured drawings made of temple orna
ments. I visited sixty -eight potteries, and some scores of
manufacturers engaged in other industries. I also brought speci
mens of work from most of the factories visited.
As to the temples and shrines, I saw about a hundred of the
finest in the country, to say nothing of the crowd of temples

PREFACE. vii
nestled together on the top of Mount Koya-zan, many of which
I studied minutely. In seeing these things I travelled about two
thousand miles ; but my stay was short, being limited to four
months. I mention these facts so that the reader may judge of my
opportunities of study, and now I must leave my book in his
hands. I am much indebted to the painstaking care of Mr. Hundley,
who has drawn the illustrations on wood for me, and to Mr. G.
Pearson, the well-known wood engraver, who has cut the blocks.
Both these gentlemen have exerted themselves in the kindest
manner to render the illustrations such as I wished.
I have also to acknowledge the services of my daughters, who
acted as my amanuenses, and thus rendered it possible for the
book to be written during a long and painful illness from which
I suffered while most of the letter -press was prepared. Their
willing assistance was of great value to me.

Tower Cressy,
Notting Hill, London, W.
October 1881.

CONTENTS.

PART 1.

CHAPTER I.
Yokohama — The Grand Hotel — Sights in the Streets — Jinrikishas — Japanese hospitality
— Sachi — Yedo, or Tokio — Letter-writing — The Castle — Winter in Japan — Temple
of Shiba — Tombs of the Shoguns . Pages I - 1 8

CHAPTER II.
Yokohama — A fire in the hotel — A Japanese banquet — Japanese dancing-girls — Music
— Eating a live fish — Hara-kiri — The Mikado — The New Year — Tokio firemen —
Japanese matting — The Hamagoten palace . . 19-62

CHAPTER III.
Preparation for long journey — By water to Kobe — Entrance of the Mikado into Kobe —
Awadji, Sanda, Arima, Nara — The Mikado's antiquities . . 63-103

CHAPTER IV.
The sacred dance — A feast night — Kioto — The royal collections — Osaka 104-123

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER V.

The Japanese Calendar — Wakayama— Japanese cold and Japanese vegetation — Koya-
zan — Splendour of shrines and of scenery — Sakai — News of revolt in Satsuma —
Return to Osaka — Feast of the god of riches . . . Pages 124-140

CHAPTER VI.
Temple of Kioto — Japanese estimate of Christianity — Picnics — Honest workmanship —
Lacquer-work — Value of Corean ware — Tea-drinking ceremony — Otsu — Futami-
gaura — Kamiji-yama . . . 141-170

CHAPTER VII.
Tidings of rebellion — Ise — Yokkaichi — Manufactures of Nagoya — Comparative estimates
of wealth and skill — Castle of Nagoya — Sidsuoka — Fujiyama — Return to Yokohama 171-196

CHAPTER VIII.
A Shinto festival — Nikko — The great Sanctuary — Arrival at Tokio — Japanese reports
and police supervision . . ... 197-213

CHAPTER IX.
A Japanese blue-book — Object of my visit — Exportation of ginger — Manufacture of
carpets, etc. . . . 214-224

CONTENTS. xi
PART IL
CHAPTER I.
Religion and Architecture . . . Pages 225.320
CHAPTER II.
Analogies and Symbols . . -221-144
CHAPTER III.
The Lacquer Manufactures . . 345-367
CHAPTER IV.
The Pottery Manufactures ... . 368-414
CHAPTER V.
The Metal Manufactures . ..... 415-430
CHAPTER VI.
On the means by which Fabrics receive Pattern . . 431-449
CHAPTER VII.
Minor Manufactures of Japan ... . 450-466

JAPAN:
ITS ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND ART
MANUFACTURES. PART I.
CHAPTER I.
Yokohama — The Grand Hotel — Sights in the Streets — Jinrikishas — Japanese hospitality
— Sachi — Yedo, or Tokio — Letter-writing — The Castle — Winter in Japan — Temple
of Shiba — Tombs of the Shoguns.
It was on the 26th day of December at 6.30 in the morning that
I first saw Japan. As yet this strange country was enveloped in
a soft mist above which the sun was only just rising, but as
the mist dispersed we could see that the land was pleasantly
undulating and richly wooded ; that in some of the valleys, fissures,
and gorges nestled little picturesque villages ; that in sheltered
spots palm-trees, with their plumous tops, rose high above the
houses that found shelter beneath them, and that junks of quaint
aspect ploughed the shallow waters of the coast.
A cry arises from the Japanese passengers, who are earnestly
looking to the left (for we have several on board) — Fujiyama !
I look in the direction in which they gaze, but see no mountain.
The undulating land in front is perfectly distinct, and is thrown
out on a background of gray-and-white cloud which rises high
behind it ; but I see no mountain. Under the guidance, however,
of Japanese friends, I look above these clouds, and there, at a
vast height, shines the immaculate summit of Japan's peerless
B

2 JAPAN . ITS ARCHITECTURE,
cone. I have seen almost every alpine peak in the land of Tell ;
I have viewed Monte Rosa from Zermat, Aosta, and Como ; 1
have gloried in the wild beauty of the Jungfrau and the pre
cipitous heights of the Matterhorn ; but never before did I see a
mountain so pure in its form, so imposing in its grandeur, so
impressive in its beauty, as that at which we now gaze. I do
not wonder at the Japanese endowing it with marvellous powers ;
I do not wonder at this vast cone around which clouds love to
sleep being regarded as the home of the dragon — the demon of the
storm, — for surely this mountain is one of nature's grandest works !
Rounding a promontory we soon enter the bay of Yokohama,
fire two cannon, and drop our anchor.
In a few minutes certain officials come on board, and the
ship is surrounded by a score of native boats. Some belong to
hotels, some seek to take passengers or merchandise on shore,
some bring out servants of the company to which our ship
belongs, and others a variety of things which it is impossible to
describe. A scene of life and activity thus springs up around us
of a character so novel as to be both interesting and amusing. A
small steam-launch is now moored to the side of our great vessel,
and General Saigo, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army,
who is on board, invites me to step into the launch and accompany
him on shore : the launch is a Government boat which has been
sent to convey the General to land.1 Accepting the kind invitation
I am soon seated in the boat, where we find the son of the General,
who is a cheerful smiling-faced urchin about two years old. No
sooner does the father see the little fellow than he caresses him
with that warm affection which the Japanese at all times show
towards their children ; but there is no kissing, for kissing is
unknown in the East, and while the General manifests his love
for his child I yet feel that the little fellow has not received all
his due, and I almost long to kiss him myself. The screw of our
little launch is soon in motion, and in a few minutes I stand on
1 General Saigo was returning from America, where he had acted as the com
missioner for Japan at the Philadelphia exhibition. I met General Saigo and his party
at San Francisco by arrangement, so that we might travel together to his country.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. i,
a land which, as a decorative artist, I have for years had an
intense desire to see, whose works I have already learned to
admire, and amidst a people who are saturated with the refine
ments which spring only from an old civilisation. With the
view of reaching my hotel I now get into a jinrikisha, a vehicle
somewhat resembling a small hansom cab, only with a hood that
shuts back. It is lightly built, has two somewhat large wheels,
and slender shafts united together by a tie -piece near their
extremities. It is drawn by a man who gets between the shafts
and most ably acts the part of the best of ponies, or sometimes by
two, or even three men. In the latter cases the tandem principle is
adopted, and the leaders are attached to the vehicle by thin ropes.
As soon as I am seated in my carriage, which is scarcely large
enough to contain my somewhat cumbrous body, my tandem
coolies (for I have two) set off with a speed which is certainly
astonishing, if not alarming, and I soon find myself at the entrance
to the Grand Hotel — a European house — where I secure my room
(terms three and a half dollars or fourteen shillings a day, including
everything save fire and wine).
Breakfast this morning was somewhat neglected, for the
excitement of nearing land after a twenty-one days' sea-voyage
had lessened our appetites. It seemed impossible to spare time
for a hearty meal when, with the movement of our vessel through
the water, shifting scenes both strange and beautiful were con
stantly presenting themselves to our sight. The keen, fresh,
exhilarating air, the cloudless sky, the bright and cheering sun
shine, and the gallop through the wind in my tiny carriage had
caused nature to assert itself and demand some refreshment for
the inner man.
Sitting down to table at the hotel I partook of a somewhat
hurried meal. Fish, entrees, and joint were presented in due
sequence, as though I were sitting in the Grand Hotel at Paris ;
while grouped on dishes were tins of Crosse and Blackwell's
potted meats, and Keiller's Dundee marmalade and jam. I
confess that while these luxuries were in the most perfect state of
preservation, and in every sense enjoyable, I was disappointed in

4 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
seeing such familiar forms of food instead of the tentacle of an
octopus, the succulent shoot of a bamboo, the fin of a shark, or
some other such natives dainties as I looked for.
Having finished my meal, I am joined by a gentleman
who is to act as my secretary while I am in the country, by
Prince Henri of Liechtenstein, and by Prince Alfred Montenuovo
(two Austrian princes with whom I have been a fellow-passenger
from San Francisco), and we start for a walk, the secretary being our
guide. We pass through the European settlement of Yokohama,
where beautiful villas — in character half English and half Japanese
— nestle in lovely gardens, and on to the native town. Here
all is strange and quaint beyond description. The shops are
without fronts and their floors are raised above the ground by one
high step ; they are matted, and the goods are displayed on
stands which resemble the so-called " stage " of a greenhouse.
Strange articles of food, strange people, strange objects meet
the eye on every side. We stop, we look, we admire, we
wonder. We are looked at : smiles of amusement at the
interest which is taken in things, to them common, meet us
at every turn. We watch children play, — a little girl bounces
a ball and turns round while the ball is ascending from the
ground for her to hit again. We pass by a canal which is
tunnelled through a hill, and on which the strangest of boats
float ; we enter the precincts of a Buddhist Temple, but we
must take our boots off before we cross the threshold. We return
home by crossing " the bluffs," from which we have a glorious
view of the town and the bay, and by a road which, bordered
by curious fences (Figs, i to i 5), winds its way through nurseries
where strange trees abound. I need scarcely say that we have
enjoyed our walk more than words can tell. Indeed it would
be almost impossible to describe the impression of novelty left
on our minds ; but to give the reader some notion of the
strange aspect of things I may repeat a remark made by one
of the Austrian princes during the stroll. " Had we died," he
said, "and risen from the dead the scene presented could not
be more strange."

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 5
The princes dine with me, and at 8.30 we set out again ;
this time in jinrikishas, each drawn by one man, who now
bears a lantern, as it is dark, and off we go at almost the
pace of a race-horse. We laugh heartily at the shouts of the
men, the bobbing of the lanterns, the shaking of the vehicles,
and the excitement of the furious run. In about fifteen minutes
we alight in front of a large house, into one room of which we
enter. Here our conductor orders for us a native repast, to which
are to be added the pleasures of music and the dance. The
room is a plain square, but there is European glass in the
windows, and the doors have European fasteners. Mats cover
the floor, and on the mats stand two brazen vessels (called
hibachi), each containing a few bits of ignited charcoal ; and
these primitive and insignificant fires afford the only means by
which a Japanese room is warmed. We are favoured with Chinese
chairs and two small tables, while the natives, who shortly come
to serve the repast, or to amuse us by their music and dancing,
kneel in front of us on the floor. Preparations having now been
completed, a large lacquer tray is brought in, and placed in the
centre of the group of kneeling female attendants. On this tray
rests a dish of sliced raw, unsalted fish, with condiments of various
kinds, all being arranged much like the French dish of Tete de
veau vinaigrette if tastefully garnished with leaves. European
plates are used out of compliment to us strangers, but chop-sticks
are supplied instead of knives and forks. We taste the dish after
many unsuccessful attempts at getting the food to our mouths by
the aid of the chop-sticks, but strange to say, the viands have the
flavours, and the condiments are almost tasteless. After the raw
fish comes fried fish, and with it hot sachi.
Sachi, although generally regarded in England as a spirit,
is in reality a white beer made from rice. Like all alcoholic
drinks, sachi varies much in quality ; and the Japanese estimate
its excellence by flavour, aroma, and other qualities, as we do
our port and other wines. It is drunk both cold and warm, but
it is not made hot by admixture with water, but is itself warmed ;
and in this condition it is now offered to us.

Native Drawings of the Fences which bound Gardens.

Native Drawings of the Fences which bound Gardens,

8 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Sachi cups are usually small earthen vessels of about two
inches in diameter, much resembling in character shallow tea
cups, or deep saucers. They are without handle, and are offered
to the guest empty after being placed in hot water for a few
moments if he is to drink the sachi warm. Into these empty
cups a second serving- maid pours the warm sachi from a
delicately-formed china bottle.
Following the fish and the wine a dish of sea-slugs with herbs
and sea-weed is served, but the mollusc is as tough as leather,
and my powers of mastication are altogether overcome. After
the repast, music begins with the samasin (banjo), and the coto
(horizontal harp), together with certain drums (the tsudzumu and
the taiko), while girls dance to the weird sounds — their motions
being graceful but strange. This over, there is singing of native
songs, after which we all leave, take our places in the jinrikishas,
and are drawn home at almost lightning speed.
On the following morning I begin to make observations with
some care. Yesterday everything was so new that impressions
resulted chiefly from general effects, or curious incidents, while
details were passed almost unnoticed. I now, however, seem to
be more able to mark accurately what comes before me. Stand
ing on the steps of our hotel, I glance upwards with the view of
noticing the nature of the building in which I have for the present
taken up my abode. To my astonishment what I yesterday
regarded as a solid stone edifice turns out to be a mere wooden
framework bearing on its surface thin slabs of stone, each of which
is drilled partially through and is hung on two common nails.
This hotel is beautifully situated, having its chief face over
looking the sea, from which it is separated by a broad and well-
made road. On its right is a canal which here meets the ocean.
As I stand on these steps I have above me a cloudless sky of the
deepest blue, an ocean rippled by the smallest of waves, and
reflecting the azure of the heavens above. The white sails of
picturesque boats reflect the rays of the sun, hidden from my
view by the house in front of which I stand ; while the air has a
crispness, due to the slight frost of the night, which makes it in

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 9
the highest degree exhilarating. I breakfast off fish, ham, eggs,
and tea, as though I were sitting at my own table in London,
instead of being 12,000 miles from home, and then set out to view
the shops and their contents. During my walk I find many curios
that are to me quite irresistible, and I buy, I fear, in a truly
reckless fashion. At 5.15 I return home somewhat tired, having
had a perfect " field day " amidst the shops.
While I was dressing, Prince Henri came into my room and
asked me to join him and Prince Montenuovo at dinner. Thus
passed my second day in Japan.
I find the following scraps noted in my diary under date
December 27th. It is customary here to go to a shop to select
a number of goods, and then to ask the owner to send all the
objects selected to your house, or hotel, for you to look over and
decide upon at your leisure.
The people here are most polite and charming ; at one place
while we were making purchases tea was served to us. The tea
is by no means strong, is pale yellow (almost amber) in colour,
and is drunk without milk or sugar. It is served in small cups
without handles or saucers.
The native town of Yokohama is lit with gas, while the
European quarter has at night dark streets. The foreign settler
objects to a gas rate.
The next morning I go by appointment to Yedo (Tokio, or
the northern capital) by 9.34 train. The railway connecting
Yokohama (the port of Tokio) with Tokio is eighteen miles in
length, is well built, and is one of two railways now existing in
Japan ; the other railway connects Hiogo (Kobe) with Kioto (the
southern capital). The Yokohama railway is of specially narrow
gauge, and the carriages are more like omnibuses than any to be
found on our lines — being small in size and entered at the end.
A train leaves Yokohama for Tokio, and Tokio for Yokohama,
every hour of every day in the year, and every train carries
mails ; hence, while Yedo and Yokohama are eighteen miles
apart, there is a delivery of letters in both places every hour of
every day.

io JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
These places, and indeed all the towns of Japan, are now
connected by telegraph wires, by the agency of which messages
can be sent in the native character or in most of the European
languages ; but for conveying a message in a strange tongue an
extra fee is very reasonably demanded.
The line from Yokohama to Yedo skirts the bay throughout
the greater portion of its length ; and the scenery along the route,
though curious, presents few features of marked interest. The
dresses, however, of the female peasantry who happen to be in
holiday attire are quaint and pleasing, while the flowing robes of
the men contrast favourably with our set and inartistic dress.
At Tokio, I am met by General Saigo and Mr. Sekisawa, —
the latter being a gentleman who was one of our party from San
Francisco to Japan. General Saigo has with him his carriage,
which is of European make, and is drawn by a horse ; but a
"' runner " precedes the carriage on foot, as was common in England
in more early days. This practice of employing a running groom
to precede the carriage is rendered necessary by the fact that
horse carriages have but recently been introduced into Japan.
For centuries the inhabitants of towns have been in the habit of
walking in the middle of the streets, for no Japanese town that I re
member has properly made footpaths at the sides of the roads ; and
wells imperfectly protected are often situated in front of the shops.
General Saigo is a man of handsome appearance, and stately
bearing, of about thirty-seven years of age ; like many southerners,1
he is by no means small of stature. His house, which we soon
reach, is a wooden building in the English style. The floor of
the room in which I am received is covered with a " tapestry "
carpet, and in it stands an American stove, which can scarcely be
regarded as beautiful, though it is probably useful. The furniture
is of European character, but surely of American make, and in
pattern resembles English furniture prior to 1862.
As we sat on European chairs, tea was served in native style.
It had been arranged that I should visit Mr. Sano — one of the
ministers ; but Japanese etiquette demands that a note be sent
1 General Saigo is a native of the province of Satsuma.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. n
immediately before the visit, to ask if all things are ready for the
reception ; General Saigo therefore writes the first Japanese letter
which I have seen written.
His writing-box is about 1 1 inches in width, 1 2 inches long,
and 2 inches deep, and contains a roll of fibrous paper somewhat
bibulous in character, a stick of Indian ink, a slab on which to
mix the ink, a small water vessel, and a few brushes formed of
vegetable hairs. From the box he takes the roll of paper, an
inch or two of which he unrolls and arranges as flatly as possible.
He next mixes a small quantity of ink, and then holding the roll
of paper in his left hand, begins to write with a brush, pre
viously dipped in the Indian ink, upon the spread out portion of
the paper. The first character is made at the upper right-hand
corner, the second follows immediately under it, and so on, till
a vertical column is formed, then a second column is written,
and so on ; in each case the new line of writing being commenced
at the top and finished at the bottom of the sheet, and being to
the left of the previously written columns. When the letter is
completed, the portion of the paper occupied by the writing is
torn from the roll, and folded, and the letter is placed in a lacquer
box, round which the writer ties a silk cord.1 A servant carries
the box to the house of the receiver, who himself takes from the
box the letter which has not been touched by the messenger. An
answer comes in like form saying that all is ready, so we drive to
Mr. Sano's house, which is a fine old Japanese building near the
outskirts of the city. Two rooms at least of this thoroughly
Japanese residence are furnished in European fashion, and of
the residences belonging to Japanese ministers, or high officials,
which I happened to see, this, as a specimen of European furnish
ing, was one of the most successful.
Mr. Sano was the commissioner representing the Japanese
Government at the Vienna International Exhibition in the year
1873, and during his visit to Europe at this period he seems to
have studied most carefully the art industries of the west, and
the nature of our manufactures ; for the suggestions which he
1 These boxes are sold in England as "glove-boxes.

12 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
made to his own people upon his return appear to have proved
very valuable to the industries of Japan.
During Mr. Sano's residence at Vienna he was requested by
his government to make purchases of such manufactured objects
as he thought likely to have an interest for the Japanese, with
the view of their being placed in a museum which was about to
be established in Tokio, much after the plan of our South Ken
sington Museum. Unfortunately the goods selected were lost in
Yedo Bay by the foundering there of the vessel which was char
tered to convey them to Japan. In spite of this dire calamity, an
excellent museum has been established in Tokio, of which Mr.
Sano was the head and chief, although he has now relinquished
the post in favour of Mr. Machida, a gentleman who has travelled
in Europe, and who both speaks and writes English well.
Mr. Sano is a man of aristocratic bearing, and decidedly of
large stature for a Japanese. He interests himself especially in
the advancement of the art industries of his country which have
in a large degree been saved from the corrupting influences of
European taste through his exertions.
After I had determined to leave England for Japan, my old
friend Mr. Philip Cunliffe Owen (now Sir Philip) suggested to me
that I should do what I could to repair the loss sustained by the
Japanese through the wreck ofthe vessel containing the specimens of
European manufactures. I therefore appealed to my manufactur
ing friends ; and the result was that I took with me to Tokio
a collection of objects such as could only prove valuable to the
Imperial Museum. Sir Philip Owen gave me introductions to
his Excellency Mr. Sano, General Saigo, and other Japanese min
isters, and it is to him that I am indebted for the many valuable
friends whom I still retain among the leading men of Japan.
The presentation of this gift from our manufacturers to the
representatives of the Japanese Government was the object of
my visit to Mr. Sano.
Mr. Sano received me most kindly. During our conversation
(which we carried on through the kind and careful interpretation
of Mr. Sekisawa) tea was served in native fashion. After a sump-

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 13
tuous luncheon, served in European style and with European
wines, General Saigo takes me to the Castle, where Mr. Sano and
Mr. Asami (another of our American party, who is engaged under
Mr. Sano in translating European works pertaining to manufac
tures into the Japanese language) met us.
The Castle, which dates from the year A.D. 1 35 5, was formerly
an immense building enclosing gardens. It now stands in the
centre of the more modern town of Tokio, which was founded in
the year A.D. 1 600, and was ultimately built around it. Although
recent civil wars have destroyed much of this ancient castle, some
huge towers and immense battlements, formed of stones of extra
ordinary size remain. The Castle enclosure is surrounded by a
broad moat, on the inner side of which rise the vast walls of the
fortress: and if we may judge from its appearance, no castle in
Europe is more impregnable. The water of the moat is broad,
and the roadway skirting it on the outer side considerably above
its level. Inside the walls there is a charming garden, used now
as a pleasure ground during the summer months by the high
officials of the Government. In this garden there are small arti
ficial lakes and streams of water, which are crossed by picturesque
bridges, and are in part sheltered by greatly contorted trees ; and
here also are one or two charming little tea-houses. Although
the Castle grounds are not usually open at this period of the
year, General Saigo has not only had the gates unlocked for us,
but has also had the tea-houses opened, and tea prepared for our
refreshment. It is the 28th day of December; yet as we saunter through
these beautiful grounds I see trees laden with camellia blossoms
looking as fresh as if it were summer. General Saigo gathers a
bunch of these beautiful flowers and presents them to me, after
which my companions return to their homes and I go to the
British Embassy, where Mr. Mounsey (the First Secretary of the
Legation) presents me to Sir Harry Parkes, and insists on my
staying to dine with him. I return to Yokohama by the ten
o'clock train.
The morning is clear, bright, and slightly frosty, while the

i4 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
air is singularly pure and bracing. With Prince Liechtenstein
and Prince Montenuovo I start for Tokio, where we meet Mr. and
Mrs. Mounsey, at whose invitation we were to-day to visit
the capital. Two carriages convey us to the great Buddhist
Temple of Shiba, which is situated in a richly -wooded suburb
of the city. As the Castle stands in the centre of the town,
and the moat surrounding it is bordered on its outer side in
part by fields, trees, and various kinds of vegetation, while
beyond this rural district the city spreads itself as a huge
ring, a journey from one side of Tokio to the other is curious,
for upon leaving a densely-populated district we often come upon
fields or gardens as we approach the centre of the town.
Shiba lies in the north-east quarter of Tokio. It is reached
by a pleasant short drive from the railway station. The impres
sion which I now receive upon first beholding the magnificent
temples and shrines standing before me as we step from our
carriage is most delightful. Buildings so rich in colour, so
beautiful in detail, so striking in symbolism, I have never
before seen, or even dreamt of. Had a Gibbons been employed
on the wood -carvings, had the colourist of the Alhambra done
his utmost to add to forms, which in themselves are almost perfect,
a new charm through the addition of pigments, and were the
whole of such details subordinated to fitting places in a vast
architectural edifice by the architects of the Parthenon, no more
worthy effect could be produced than that of the buildings on
which my eyes now rest.
The Temple of Shiba, like most of the large temples dedicated
to the service of Buddhism, consisted of seven buildings, one of
which may be regarded as more strictly in itself the Temple, while
another is in all cases a pagoda, — the pagoda bearing much the
same relation to the Buddhist edifice that a spire does to a
Christian church. Unfortunately the chief building of the seven
has been lately burnt by, it is believed, revolutionary incendi
aries, and I am informed that this building was more beautiful
than any now remaining ; yet how any building could be more
beautiful than those which have escaped, I am at a loss to

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

'5

understand. (Fig. 16 gives the water-tank in the courtyard of
this temple.)
We walk through the courtyard inspecting the long rows of
stone lanterns, and viewing the exteriors of the various buildings

Fig. 16. — The Water -Tank at Shiba,
With its monolith columns, on the tops of which festooned drapery in colours and gold is painted.

on which we find birds, flowers, water, and clouds carved with a
tenderness and boldness scarcely to be surpassed, and so coloured
that each object retains its individual beauty, while the various
parts combine to produce an effect almost perfect. The art treat
ment of the natural objects is semi-conventional, the carving is
of the crispest, and the subjects are chosen with the view of sym
bolising the power of the Buddhist's god over all created things.
Shiba is not only a Buddhist shrine, but, like our West
minster Abbey, is a resting-place for the mighty dead. Here five
of Japan's great Shoguns (also called Tycoons) were buried, and
the Shogun (who was practically the temporal ruler of Japan)

1 6 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
was of the Buddhist faith, while the Mikado (whom we have
described as the spiritual ruler) was of the Shinto religion.
Sh6guns found their resting-place in tombs of great beauty, while
over the ashes of the Mikados are heaped mere mounds of earth.
We are looking and wondering at all the loveliness outspread
before us when a shaven-headed priest comes forward to conduct
us into the largest of the edifices which now remain. Before
entering it we have to put off our shoes. This it was right that
we should do, were it only because the balcony to which the
steps before us lead, and the floor of the temple itself, are of
polished black lacquer. The surface of these floors may be com
pared with that of the best papier-machd tray that Wolverhampton
ever made.
There is little in the way of wall in connexion with either
Japanese temples or houses ; but of the structure of their build
ings more will be said when we come to consider their architecture.
However, the building before us is a large enclosed space, covered
by a massive roof, supported on uprights, between which are what
we may regard as movable shutters ; — the columns and shutters
forming the boundary of the building. The floor of the temple
extends about six feet beyond the central enclosed part as a
balcony, and it is this balcony which I have just mentioned as
being bright black. The roof of the temple overhangs the
balcony and protects it from the weather, while the constructive
rafters and joists which support it are left fully exposed to view.
Internally we have a ceiling of which the structural features are
not visible. The ceiling is panelled out into small squares, and is
decorated ; red, blue, green, white, and gold being applied to it in
all their intensity.
It might be thought that such a system of colouring as this
could only produce a coarse and vulgar effect ; but this is not so,
for the overhanging roof which approaches within about four feet
of the railing of the surrounding balcony does not permit the
entrance of any excessive amount of light ; and the light which
ultimately reaches the ceiling is all reflected, and that from a
black floor.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 17
We are now taken by our shaven-headed priest to see the
tombs of the Shoguns. In front of each tomb stands a square
building or shrine, one of which by his orders is opened at both
back and front, that we may look on the monument behind.
I am so much pleased with the one temple which I have
been permitted to enter, and my art enthusiasm has been already
so fully kindled, that my desire to see the interior of these
sacred shrines becomes almost irresistible ; but I am told that
none but great officials can enter these sanctuaries, as each
building contains the SACRED name of the now deified Shogun
whose remains are entombed behind. I believe that the holy
father mistakes my enthusiastic admiration of the art of the
edifice for religious enthusiasm, as he somewhat excitedly exclaims,
" You are great Sh6gun," and allows me to enter a building
which few, if any, Europeans have up to this time been permitted
to inspect. These shrines are as beautiful as the larger temples which we
have already seen, and their details are as perfectly wrought. But
as yet I fail to comprehend the object of these buildings, for what
the sacred name of a deceased Shogun may be, I do not understand.
Ultimate inquiry led me to see that throughout Japan there
is a strange confusion of Buddhism and Shintoism ; for while
Shintoism deifies heroes, Buddhism, in its purity, does nothing of
the kind. Nevertheless, as the Mikado, while yet regarded as
the God incarnate of the Shinto Church, offers in public on
certain days of the year prayers for his people at certain Buddhist
shrines, it is not' to be wondered at that the leading sanctuaries of
Japan should betray a blending so inconsistent.
Upon the death of a famous Japanese, be he daimio (baron),
hero, benefactor, or Shogun, he is exalted to the rank of a god,
when his name in the god world is allotted to him. This name,
sacred and unpronounceable by mortal lips, is inscribed on a
tablet of about two feet in length by four inches in breadth,
bordered by a richly carved margin ; and it is this god name which
the shrines in front of the Shdguns' tombs are intended to encase
and preserve. Every precaution is taken to insure the safety of
c
1 ',

18 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
these tablets, as in the belief of the Japanese the gravest calamities
might befall the nation if any should be lost or destroyed.
On this memorable day, which will always be a "red letter
day" in my history, I learnt many facts of deep interest, and I
have certainly beheld, enshrined in cryptomerias and other cone-
bearing trees of vast proportions, an amount of architectural beauty
such as I have never before seen ; and I may here mention as
evidence of the liberality of the Buddhists, that when Lady
Parkes applied to the high priest of Shiba for permission to have
the Church of England service performed in one of the chapels
connected with this great shrine, her request was at once granted.
Hence Christian worship is offered every Sunday in this greatest
of Buddhist temples.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 19

CHAPTER II.
Yokohama — A fire in the hotel — A Japanese banquet — Japanese dancing-girls — Music
— Eating a live fish — Hara-kiri — The Mikado — The New Year — Tokio firemen —
Japanese matting — The Hamagoten palace.
THIS 30th of December was spent chiefly in receiving official
visits, in arranging for an interview with Mr. Machida, the pre
sent director of the Tokio Museum, in calling upon important
personages in Tokio, and in dining with Sir Harry Parkes, our
minister. I returned to my hotel at Yokohama ; but the night
was not to pass without its excitement. I was awakened from
my sleep by the cry of " fire." Upon putting my head outside
the door of my chamber, I saw the manager of the hotel hurrying
off in his nightshirt in search of a fire-engine. Dressing in all
haste, I found that our hotel was on fire and that the fire was in
the floor above me. A large hole in the skirting-board and wall
showed that the interior of the partition (which is not truly a wall
but a lath and plaster " studding ") was all ablaze. Seeing the
danger of our position, I shouted for water, and before the
Japanese servants could bring the buckets, I rushed into the
nearest bedroom and seized the poker, to the consternation of a
lady who had just stepped out of bed. With this poker I hacked
down the wall as high as I could reach, and found all the joists
in flames. Water was now plentifully thrown on the burning
timbers, and a ladder enabled me to climb to the ceiling of the
passage in which the fire was rapidly spreading, but after some
hard work we succeeded in overcoming our enemy. In this
incident I was struck by the fact, that while no engine came till

20 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the fire was out not one visitor in the hotel, whether English,
American, German, or French, offered any help, while a great
gaping lubber, whom I afterwards found to be the proprietor
of the hotel, stood calmly looking on. During the following
day I was thanked by several of the inmates of the hotel
for the service I had rendered, and even the lady whose com
posure I had so much disturbed complimented me on my
energy ; yet I was informed that our landlord considered it no
part of my duty to put out fires on his premises, and that he was
well insured.
The fire being out, I sallied forth to inspect the native fish
market, for it was now seven o'clock in the morning. Here
I saw piles of octopuses ; some heaps being of reddish hue, while
others were of leaden aspect, but the tentacles of these strange
creatures gave the heaps a look of motion and life, which, to
say the least, was strange. Here are also bivalve molluscs, ten
inches in length, which I can only regard as over-grown mussels,
large creatures of the shark character, some ten feet in length,
and in a tub live fish, including the royal tai ; while on tables
and stalls are ranged some of the oddest monsters which I ever
saw offered for food in any land.
At the entrance to the market, through which I return, sits
a money-changer, from whom I get some picturesque coins, now
obsolete, the former coinage having been entirely superseded by
a silver and paper currency after the modern American fashion.
At 9 A.M. I left for Tokio, having been invited to partake
of a native banquet to be given by certain foreign secretaries of
legation to the Austrian princes. Each of our hosts, I understood,
was to invite one friend, and I was the honoured guest of the
Hon. James Saumarez. The luncheon was served in the most
fashionable of Japanese tea-houses, being that in which the min
isters have state dinners, and in every respect according to the
highest rules of Japanese taste and etiquette.
At the Yashiki (spread out houses) of those accomplished
linguists, the brothers Siebold, to whom the Japanese tongue
is as familiar as any European language, I met Prince Henri of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 21
Liechtenstein and Prince Montenuovo, Baron Rosen, Baron Gold-
schmidt, and Dr. Roritz, to the latter of whom I owe a vast debt
of gratitude for kindness which I afterwards received when far
removed from European civilisation. Our party being formed,
we accompanied our hosts to the tea-house, where, taking off
our shoes, we ascended the stairs (for this house is two stories
in height, a thing unusual in Japan), and entered the banquet-
room. As this banquet was characteristic of the nation, I will
attempt to describe it. The room, or rather rooms, in which we
feasted, so far resembled the front and back parlours of a London
villa that they were formed into one for our use by the removal of
certain " slides," which may be said to represent the " double doors "
of small English houses. As we entered the room, we saw, attached
to the right-hand wall, a slightly-raised dais, more or less shut off
from the main portion of the room with a sort of enclosed altar,
on which rice-ears rested as an offering to the gods. This enclo
sure is arranged with scrupulous care ; an unbarked stem of cherry
wood stands as an upright at its outermost corner, the dimensions
of each plank, upright, or other piece being determined by rule.
This is the " sacred niche " (or enclosure) which the Mikado, as the
god incarnate of the Shinto Church, would occupy were he ever
to visit this hotel, and through an opening at the end of the
partially-enclosed dais his food would be served by those who
could not, through the smallness and position of the opening,
see his face.
The greater portion of the wall facing us as we enter is oc
cupied by a window of about three feet in height, resting on
the floor of the room, but it is high enough to serve the purpose for
which it is intended, as all Japanese kneel upon the floor when
collected together for any entertainment ; indeed, there is neither
chair, table, nor anything that we can regard as furniture in any
native Japanese room. The left-hand side of the apartment is
entirely occupied by a continuous series of windows, outside of
which there is a balcony ; and these windows are so high that we
can readily walk on to the balcony when they are open. The

22 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
other sides of the room consist of plastered walls, the plaster being
of agreeable texture and colour.
But although these rooms bear a certain resemblance to
European rooms, there is nothing European about them ; indeed,
they are not only of purely Japanese character, but are con
structed according to the most rigid laws of Japanese etiquette.
The windows consist of light frames filled in with a delicate
and beautiful wood lattice-work covered with thin paper ; hence
it is impossible to look out without moving one of the window
sashes ; but as all window-sashes in Japan are so arranged that
one can slide past another horizontally, this is not a difficult
matter. The floor is covered with matting ; the ceiling, like the
window-sashes, is entirely of unpainted wood, and altogether the
room has an air of cleanness and beauty which is most pleasing.
When we entered the room the window-sashes were almost
all removed, but the sun shone brightly although the air was
cold. A cushion about one inch in thickness and fourteen inches
square was placed for each of us to kneel upon, but the real
object of these cushions is that of indicating positions, the
place of honour being that next to the Mikado's dais, and from
this position the seats gradually decrease in value. These cushions
were covered with a cotton material of indigo-blue tint which
contrasted very pleasantly with the soft yellow of the mats,
the gray-buff of the wood, and the green-gray of the walls.
Four Hibachi (or fire-holders) were placed on the floor, each of
which was in this case a square vessel formed of dark wood
lined with metal. Each Hibachi was half full of a heavy
wood-ash, of course incombustible, and on the centre of this
ash rested two or three small pieces of ignited charcoal. The
Hibachi gives out but little heat, and certainly fails to alter
the temperature of a Japanese room to any perceptible degree.
In an English room such a contrivance would be highly dangerous,
as the carbonic acid gas resulting from the union of the burning
charcoal with the oxygen of the air would render the atmosphere
almost poisonous ; but a Japanese room is so perfectly ventilated,
owing to the slight manner in which its sides are constructed,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 23
that no such danger is to be apprehended. Indeed, the Japanese
may be said almost to live an out-of-door life, the house being
rather a floor raised above the ground with a substantial roof
than a series of rooms properly enclosed by substantial side walls.
When we were seated, or rather arranged, on our cushions
in a kneeling posture, a female attendant placed beside each of us
a smoking-box containing a small bamboo cup, in the bottom
of which was a little water, and a pipe (the bamboo cup is
intended to receive the ash emptied from the pipe). A
tobacco-box of the finest lacquer, with both the lid and the
body bordered by a metal rim, was passed round, and the
pipes were charged. A Japanese tobacco-pipe is exceedingly
small, the bowl not holding sufficient tobacco for more than
two whiffs, yet it is generally most exquisitely made with a
metal bowl and mouthpiece and a bamboo stem — the metal
being not unfrequently Damascened in the richest manner.
The tobacco is cut into the very finest shreds — much finer
than anything we know of here : the tobacco-pipes are charged
and after the second whiff the ash is emptied out and the opera
tion of filling repeated. This process is continued at discre
tion. With pipes at work tea was first served, the cups being
of blue-and-white porcelain of about two and a half inches in
diameter ; the tea was in a small Banko tea-kettle with bamboo
handle. The cup, being filled with tea, was placed by the
serving- maid on a small maroon lacquer stand resembling a
saucer elevated on a foot. On this stand the cup is offered
to the guest, but the guest simply takes the cup : the stand
remaining in the hand of the serving- maid. No sugar or milk
is used, the beverage being drunk in its pure condition.
Two girls in gorgeous apparel enter, and passing to the
centre of the room, fall on their knees and prostrate themselves
till their heads nearly touch the floor. They wear the most
artistic of dresses, and their hair is braided in the quaint fashion
which is general here : it is stiff and smooth, being formed into
flat bows rendered firm by a lavish use of strange -smelling
cosmetic. The hair is jet-black, and two hair-pins form the

24 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
ornaments of each peruke. Powder is freely used on the face,
but no attempt is made to disguise the fact, for the powder
ends with a regular and well-defined line which extends down
the back part of the cheeks. The lips are of the brightest
red, being painted with a most potent pigment, while the
central portions are accented by lustrous touches of a green-
gold bronze ; — happily kissing is unknown in Japan ! One of
the girls wears a broad green sash of the richest and most mellow
colour ; this is a charming art work, and over it spreads a spray
of the gourd, worked in lustrous plumbago-black. The drawing
of this spray is perfectly marvellous, having all the vigour and
beauty of the living plant, while it is yet a consistent ornament
of the surface which it decorates.
Two more girls (dressed in the same way and kneeling
behind the first two) make their obeisance, and now a third
pair enter and prostrate themselves. These last, dressed more
plainly, are servers of food, and give to each guest a square
black lacquer salver about fourteen inches in diameter ; another
serving- girl enters bearing a large tray filled with saucers of
food, which is placed on the floor of the room. The four more
gaily-attired girls now leave the room, and soon re-enter with
a taiko (or drum beaten with two sticks), two tsudzumu (or
small drums beaten with the fingers), a yokobuye (or flute), a
samasin (or banjo), and a coto (or horizontal harp).
The music now begins, all the instruments being played but
the coto, the musicians kneeling on the floor, two at the right
and two at the left of the door. At the same time viands are
handed round, one saucer being placed on each of our trays.
These saucers each contain a lump of soft, dough-like substance
covered with a fine bright -green flour, a circular piece of semi-
transparent plastic matter like a sectional portion of fancy sugar-
stick having a red exterior and a white flower in its centre, and
a piece of white gelatinous matter of oblong shape. Immediately
after the distribution of these luxuries a serving-maid enters bear
ing another oblong tray filled with saucers of confections and
other articles of food — an orange preserved in syrup, a small

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 25
fresh fish (like a sprat) opened and spread on a roll of rice saddle
fashion, an oblong object about three inches in length, black in
colour, and filled with white seed-like specks (exceedingly hard),
and a semicircular slice of white gelatinous matter with a red
crenated margin. I failed signally at first with the chop-sticks which
were given to me ; but on seeing how they were used, I soon found
that I could pick up single grains of rice as well as larger pieces
of food ; but Japanese etiquette allows a bowl or saucer to be
raised to the mouth for the convenience of the person eating.
I try to eat the putty-like compound with green exterior, but
in attempting to bite a piece from the mass I encounter a serious
difficulty, for instead of being wholly successful in my attempt I
find that in removing my saucer from my mouth I am drawing
out an attenuated string of the ductile dainty, and that the portion
in my mouth is still connected with the larger mass now resting
on the floor. The more I try to separate this connecting cord
the more my difficulty increases, and I verily believe that one
mass of such food could be drawn into a thread which would
span the Pacific itself : at last, in my agony, I swallow the mass,
but even then it seems an age before I can break the thread
which binds me to the dish on the floor. Being satisfied with one
mouthful of this dainty, I try the gelatinous rice-cake which with
an effort I in part consume. The red morsel is passed over,
being so pretty that I do not think it right to venture upon it,
but I try the more inviting confections, amongst which the orange
must take a first place.
The strangely weird, but somewhat exciting, music being over,
the lady who had performed on the small hand -drums (one of
which she held on the left knee and the other on the right shoulder)
lays aside these instruments for the coto or horizontal harp, and
four more musicians — girls who can sing as well as play — enter,
each with a samasin or banjo. The music now began again
accompanied with singing ; and the singing was even more strange
and weird than the music.
Two basins of clean warm water were now brought, each on a
slightly-raised lacquer stand, and placed on the floor in the centre

26 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of the guests. With them came two bottles of warm sachi, one
being dry and the other sweet, while the sachi-bottles were, like
the bowls, of blue-and-white porcelain, and each rested in a little
lacquer frame. Small porcelain sachi cups, such as we in England
are now familiar with, were then brought in, and one of these was
placed on the tray belonging to each of the more important visitors,
who dips it in the warm water, and holds it up to be filled with sachi.
It is expected that the guests who are thus first served shall
swallow the contents of their cups quickly, rinse them in the basins
of water, and throw them across the room to the friends with
whom they wish to take wine. It is owing to this custom that
sachi cups are frequently covered with basket-work, especially
when they are made of egg-shell china, for this covering prevents
their being readily broken.
Music is now being performed and the sachi cups are fre
quently passing across the room when soup is served — the soup
being brought in little black lacquer bowls, each of which has a
cover, and one of which is placed on each of our trays. The
soup is clear, but with a sediment not unlike that common to
game soups, but in it float a number of pale brown fungi, some
what resembling the mushroom, but distinct in aspect and very
different in flavour. The basin is raised to the mouth, and with
the chop -sticks the fungi are got from the bowl : I observe
that the Japanese sip their soup slowly and carefully as we should
a wine of rare vintage. After each sip they return the bowl to
the tray and replace the cover so as to keep it warm.
The music being over, the four girls who first brought
instruments rise and prepare for the dance : they move into the
smaller room, which I will for the moment call the back parlour,
and we rearrange ourselves so that all may see them. The four
samasin players begin a plaintive lay which they accompany
with their instruments, and the dancers begin the dance. Measured
rhythm and pantomimic gestures characterise their movements,
and the motions of the eye, which are very singular and conspicu
ous, play a large part in the art of the performers.
Now comes the viand of viands — the most dainty of morsels —

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 27
the bit that is to the Japanese epicure what the green fat of the
turtle is to the city alderman, a dish that is none other than a
living fish. Resting on a large Cutane dish is a mat formed of
rounds of glass held together by plaited threads, on which is a
living fish with gills and mouth moving regularly : at its back
rises a bank of white shreds resembling damp isinglass, but
in reality a colourless sea -weed, while the fish itself rests on
green alga^. In front is a pile of small slices of raw fish gar
nished with a radiating tuft of variegated bamboo leaves.
A portion of the raw fish from the pile in front of the living
victim is now placed on a saucer and passed to one guest, and so
with the rest, till the pile is consumed. Then, to my disgust, the
serving-maid, not having enough in the pile for all, raised the skin
of the upper side of the fish, which I now saw was already loose,
and simply picked up slice after slice from the living creature,
which, although alive, had been already carved ; nay, even the
pile of flesh already served consisted of the lower half of the
creature's body. There is a refinement of barbaric cruelty in all
this which contrasts strangely with the geniality and loving nature
of the Japanese, for with consummate skill the fish has been so
carved that no vital part has been touched ; the heart, the gills,
the liver, and the stomach is left intact, while the damp algas
on which the fish rests suffices to keep the lungs in action. The
miserable object with lustrous eye looks upon us while we con
sume its own body ; and rarely is it given to any creature to put
in a living presence at its own entombment ; but, if being eaten
is to be buried, this most miserable of victims to man's sensual
pleasure actually enjoyed (?) that rarest of opportunities. This
cruelty is practised only by the rich. No living fish ever makes
its appearance on the poor man's table ; but the infliction of such
suffering on one of the lower creatures causes, probably, no self-
reproach amongst a people who appear to regard neither pain nor
death with dread. As an illustration of Japanese hardihood, I
may say that over seventy persons, two of whom were women,
committed hara-kiri1 only six weeks prior to the date of which I
1 Hara-kiri does not consist, as many in England suppose, in opening the abdomen,

28 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
write, because they had been defeated in a small insurrectionary
movement. With the living fish came on another large saucer-like dish,
also of Cutane ware. On this were two kinds of fish, the one
browned, the other white, but both baked. A portion of each
was served on a large saucer simultaneously with the live quiver
ing flesh ; but the living fish is the luxury, and each morsel is
dipped in soy and swallowed like an oyster. Feeling that by
tasting it I added no pang to the victim, I ate, and certainly in
flavour and delicacy this surpassed any of the preceding dishes,
The slow and solemn dance, and the weird strains of tremulous
music, were a fit accompaniment of a dish so ghastly as that of
which we were partaking.
But what have the Japanese to say, I wonder, about our
swallowing live oysters ? We may argue that an oyster is a
creature of low organisation, and that it cannot suffer much pain.
What such a creature suffers we do not know, and there is reason
to suppose that feeling becomes less acute as the organisation is
more simple ; yet that by eating live molluscs, and by the treat
ment which some crustaceans receive at our hands, we inflict pain
there can be no doubt. So, perhaps, the Japanese are not much
worse than ourselves after all.
The music which now followed was more lively, but still of
the same weird character. The girls danced more briskly, and in
their pantomimic motions simulated lovers busy at love-making,
while boiled slices of .bamboo shoots were served as a course of
vegetables. These slices were strung on little sticks, from which
they were eaten, the sticks serving the purpose of our fork. Then
came more soup, with deer flesh in it, as well as fungi, served in
covered earthen bowls with pattern in blue and white.
To the fungus employed in the flavouring of Japanese soups
but in thrusting a sword through the neck behind the windpipe with the edge out
wards, and then in grasping the sword with both hands, pushing it forward till the
throat is entirely severed and falling upon it. The misunderstanding has arisen from
the Japanese custom of making certain scratches over the region of the bowels before
committing the fatal act, in order to symbolise the reason for their death. A large volume
of some hundreds of pages has been written on the etiquette ofthe "happy despatch."

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 29
the characteristic odour of all Japanese things seems to be attri
butable. In England, all must now be familiar with the smell
of Japanese trays, boxes, fans, and fabrics. On taking these
soups I could scarcely convince myself that I was not sipping
a compound consisting of a small stewed cabinet, a Hakone tray,
and a length of Kioto fabric to which a little packing material
had been added, with the view of giving body to the liquid. But
on the question of food, all nations have prejudices, and John
Bull is not among the least bigoted in his views on dietary
matters. Now our music results from two samasins, but one is for the
first time played with a bow. This bow much resembles a whip
with a heavy lash, the bottom of which is held to the bow by the
performer. A fife and a large drum are also brought for our
edification, and now we have more lively dancing. Duck with
strips of something like Yorkshire pudding are now served, and
the diminutive tobacco-pipes are filled and smoked, while every
now and again one of the waitresses charges a pipe, the bowl of
which would not hold an ordinary pea, and hands it between the
tunes to one of the singing girls, who takes one whiff and then
puts it down so that it may be made ready for the next performer.
We were now told that it would be polite of us to place
small bits of food with our chop-sticks in the girls' mouths, and
to throw them the sachi cups ; and accordingly we did so. Our
trays were now again changed, and we received two black-and-
gold covered lacquer bowls, one containing soup, and one rice.
It may here be remarked that it is vulgar to eat much rice
at a Japanese feast : the upper middle classes use it as a chief
article of food, but to the poor rice is a luxury almost unknown,
buckwheat and millet taking its place. Following the rice came
a saucer of powdered fish-roe, over which was sprinkled finely
cut and delicate looking vegetable stems, like small attenuated
celery, but without flavour ; our saucers of live fish and other heavy
viands being still left. Now followed another bowl of soup, and in
it a large light dumpling, and some green vegetables. The music
becomes more lively, the dancing more brisk, strange innuendoes not

30 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
admissible in English society were indulged in, yet without coarse
ness ; and while the dance and the repast (which have lasted four
hours) were drawing to a close, we were receiving assurances that
the highest virtue was maintained by our lady performers. Our
jinrikishas were soon bearing us swiftly away to Mr. Mounsey's
residence in the Embassy compound.
After staying with Mr. Mounsey to see the New Year in, I went
to the house of the Honourable James Saumarez, which is also
within the Embassy enclosure, and spent this, the first day of
the New Year, in seeing some of the sights of Tokio. Having
sallied forth in the direction of the shops, I see the British
cortege on its way to the palace (the old palace was burnt
down about six weeks since, when about fifteen thousand houses
were consumed by fire), Sir Harry Parkes, Mr. Mounsey, and Mr.
Saumarez being about to pay their respects to the Mikado. The
nobles of Japan pay their homage to the emperor on the first day
of the year ; — the ministers and persons of higher order having
access to his Majesty, while those of lower rank simply leave their
cards. The dress in which these ceremonial visits are paid is the
ordinary English evening attire ; and it is indeed absurd to see the
ridiculous appearance of some of the nobles owing to the strange
cut of their European habiliments. One little nobleman I met
walking to the palace in a costume which must have been very
uncomfortable. He wore mittens, and the sleeves of his coat were
at least six inches too long, hence it was only by a judicious
arrangement of folds, and by keeping his elbows somewhat
akimbo, that the mittens, which were evidently articles of clothing
not to be hidden from view, were kept visible. The legs of his
. trousers were as much too long as the sleeves of his coat ; while
his hat, which was much too large for his head, was kept in its
place by a handkerchief rolled into the form of a ball, and care
fully placed between his forehead and the rim. This youth was
probably, like many other nobles, greatly reduced in circum
stances, owing to the changes which have arisen from the over
throw of the baronial system, hence he had ordered his Court
suit with due regard to his possible corporal development in the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 31
future. It is a truly pitiable sight, to see fine men arrayed in
our miserable dress, and that looking its worst, when the native
costume is so graceful, and lends great dignity to the wearer.
Every artist will grieve at such a change having taken place,
for the Court has thus achieved what we may almost term the
national degradation of dress.
This being holiday season, I saw in the streets some tale
tellers, one of whom seemed to enjoy special popularity. Stopping
for a time to watch him and his hearers, I tried to gather the
plot of his yarn ; but soon all eyes were turned towards me, and
uproarious laughter ensued. It was clear that I had now become
the butt of his remarks and the unwitting cause of much amuse
ment. " Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise." Farther
on I came across acrobats, who were certainly clever, — jugglers of
great skill, top-spinners who perform wonderful feats, and men
with peep-shows for the children.
The morning of the day had been cold, yet bright ; but later
the sun warmed the atmosphere, and the scene became more and
more gay. From every house hung two or three white flags with
the red ball in the centre, and the people flocked into the streets
in holiday attire. Many made their way to the great Temple of
Asakusa with its vast red gateway, its various shrines, huge coffer
for the reception of offerings, tanks for ablutions, odd-looking
belfry, and dignified pagoda. I followed in their train, and from
the summit of the pagoda got a fine view of Tokio. Beneath us
was a space caused by the burning of five thousand houses, only two
nights since, the Godowns (fire-proof storehouses) only remain
ing ; and yonder rose proud Fujiyama with its unsullied cone. The
priests seemed to be muttering incantations, boys were beating
great drums, fires blazed in the centre of the building, incense was
burning, and small coins were thrown by handfuls into the sacred
enclosure, while the grounds of the edifice were filled with stalls,
on which nick-nacks, prints, sweetmeats, and toys of every sort were
offered for sale. I now visit one of the shrines around the great
Temple of Asakusa, where, one after the other, the worshippers
take hold of the knotted rope hanging in front of the gong, and

32 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
by it make the gong produce a booming sound which is supposed
to call the attention of the god to the prayer about to be offered.
Most stand outside the shrine to perform their devotions, but one
man with shoeless feet prostrates himself just within the Temple
and remains motionless for a few minutes, with his knees, his
hands, and his forehead on the floor. The great game played in
the streets is battledore and shuttlecock, and a whole family,
father, mother, sisters, and brothers, will knock the shuttlecock
from one to the other, till one fails to hit it, when all rush at
him, or her, and give a slap with the bat as a punishment. Ball
is also a favourite game with the children, while kite-flying is a
sport enjoyed by old and young alike. The kites are often in
the form of birds ; but the strangest are those which, while high
in the air, make a hissing sound. These humming kites are
always hollow, and are not unfrequently cylindrical in form.
On the moat outside the Castle hundreds of wild ducks were
floating. The artillery were practising, and when their guns were
fired the ducks rose almost in clouds. In the moat I saw leaves
and bent seed capsules of the beautiful Nelumbium, or Buddhist
water-lily (Buddha is always represented as sitting on the flower
of this plant). In summer the moat must be covered with the
gay flowers and broad foliage of this beautiful plant. Oranges
not bigger than a cherry are common here.
Going to the railway station I noticed beside the road a baby
boy, certainly not more than two years of age, smoking his pipe.
I reach Yokohama at six.
On the following morning the sun, which had been shining
brightly, was overclouded by ten o'clock, then snow fell heavily.
By two the fall was considerable, but all had now become bright
as before. The princes are to-night to leave for Siam, after visiting which
country they are to return to China, where I am to meet them
about three months hence ; so they dine and spend this, their last
evening in Japan, with me. During our short intimacy, for it was
only on the journey from San Francisco to Yokohama that I had
the honour of making their acquaintance, they have shown me the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 33
most friendly courtesy. Both of them have undoubted art taste.
Both are well informed on .even some of the recondite questions
connected with Eastern ornaments, and Prince Liechtenstein has
made a most elaborate and careful record of what he has seen
during his travels. It is indeed a pleasure in a foreign land to
make such friends. At ten o'clock the little hotel boat, gay
with lanterns in honour of our illustrious guests, was ready to take
them off. The oars were plied, fireworks sparkled in the air, and
the boat was soon lost to view.
Next day I stayed at Yokohama to receive Mr. Sano, Mr..
Machida Hisi-Nari (the first is what we should call the surname),
the successor of Mr. Sano as the director of the Imperial Museum
at Tokio, Mr. Tanaka Yoshio, the curator, and Mr. Sekisawa.
Mr. Machida offered to show me a wonderful collection of
antiquities which are the private property of the Mikado, and
are housed at Nara in the building which has contained them
for over a thousand years. It was arranged that I should meet
him at Nara on about the 26th of this month. He also told
me that the Mikado will give me an audience before I leave this
part of Japan.
At the incoming of the New Year the native town is entirely
given up to feasting and rejoicing. Every house, shop, and
cottage is decorated in some fashion or other ; but the bamboo
and fir-tree find place in all. Two bamboos, with richly foliated
tops and about twenty feet in height, are planted in the earth
about twelve feet apart, while immediately in front of each stands
a branch of the fir-tree. At the height of eight or ten feet from
the ground these bamboos are connected by a deep fringe of
plaited rice-straw, in the centre of which is a curious group con
sisting of a crawfish, an orange, fronds of a fern, a plait of straw
having the form of a twisted loaf, a row of dried percimmons on
a stick, and a piece of charcoal and a chestnut each wrapped in
paper. Grouped in a picturesque manner, these are attached to
the upper margin of the straw fringe, from which are also pendent
certain pieces of white cut paper — the emblems of the Shinto
religion. Some rich persons place at either side of the door simply
D

34 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
three thiclc bamboo stems with the tops cut off slant-wise, with a
piece of a fir-tree in front. In these cases the central bamboo is
about three feet six inches in height, those at the sides about
three feet, while the fir is about two feet three inches in height.
These New Year devices vary, however, in character, but even
the poorest of the people seem to crave after a piece of bamboo
and of fir, be it ever so small, as eagerly as our poor look for a
spray of holly and a bit of mistletoe at Christmas.
The next day I hear at Tokio that the firemen are exer
cising, and that the sight is worth seeing, so I make my way to
the ground. The exercises consist mainly in causing ladders to
stand in a vertical position by the aid of hooks which grasp the
" rounds," and are driven into the earth, and in the performance of
strange acrobatic feats. One man ascends a ladder, and stands in
an inverted position, with his head on one of the side uprights ;
another ascends and, grasping one of the side supports with both
hands, maintains himself in a horizontal position ; another holds
on by his feet, and while his body extends laterally from its
support brandishes in both hands a chopping instrument such as
is used for destroying walls when a fire is spreading. In short,
the exercise consists in the men doing all that " Little Alright,"
the Japanese acrobat, did when in London. Before each corps
of firemen is carried a peculiar device, which being hollow acts as
a lantern. It is a sort of badge of the corps as well as a religious
emblem, for from each hang pendent the cut papers which sym
bolise the Shinto religion. Much ingenuity has been displayed
in their construction, and I am almost as much interested with
these ornamental contrivances as with the exercises themselves.
I noticed that many of the coolies had new clothing, but upon
mentioning the matter to a Japanese friend, I was told that all
who can possibly afford it buy clothes for New Year's Day. The
poor, however, are but scantily clad at best, yet they appear a
hardy and strong race. Pantaloons formed of a sort of calico
of indigo colour form the only covering to their legs, while a
loose blue jacket, on which is either a strongly-defined pattern,
or a badge a foot in diameter, constitutes the dress. The feet

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 35
are either naked or are protected underneath by straw sandals,
but these are far from being durable ; indeed, I have known three
pairs worn out in one day, during a long run. Some of the pea
sant men wear leather coats of buff and rich golden-syrup colour
— the lighter tint being that of the pattern with which they are
figured. These coats are both picturesque and durable garments.
While we boast of the convenience of our attire, I notice that
the Japanese dress has an advantage over mine, in one particular
at least. The floors of the shops are covered rather with mats than
matting, for the matting is padded underneath to the thickness of an
inch or more with straws which are regularly arranged. If a Euro
pean steps upon a floor thus covered, the high heels of his boots
penetrate and spoil the mats. Hence the European has to sit down
on the edge of the raised floor and take off his boots, while the
Japanese, who wear wooden clogs, can slip them off in a moment
without the use of his hands, as they are held on only by a sort
of thong which passes between the great toe and its four lesser
neighbours, and by a strap which passes over the fore part of the
foot. When out shopping, I was sometimes surprised to see men
who, I was told, were English merchants, walk in with their great
boots on, and stamp over the floor as though it were their purpose to
destroy the mats. The anxiety of the poor shopkeepers under
such circumstances was quite distressing, and I have seen a bit of
drugget, a common blanket, and other things hastily brought and
spread over the mats, to prevent their being ruined by these un
gainly visitors. No one, I fear, can visit Japan without perceiving
the heartlessness of many of the so-called foreign merchants, and
none are worse in this respect than my own countrymen. Some
appear to find special enjoyment in annoying the Japanese. For
eigners often speak to the Japanese as if they were altogether
inferior creatures ; and if of low class they sometimes treat them
as though they were dogs and not men. Such persons do incalcul
able harm to the country from which they hail, as it is they who
make the stranger odious.
On January 6th I left Yokohama to become for a few days

3 6 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the guest of Sir Harry Parkes at Tokio. Mr. Sano, Mr. Sekisawa,
and Mr. Asami met me at the station with two carriages in order
to show me some of the places of interest in the city. I now learn
that Mr. Sekisawa is to Japan what poor Frank Buckland was to
us, and that he is engaged in establishing for the Government
a regular system of fish culture. In America he had arranged
for the transport to Japan of the ova of salmon and other fish,
which he has now just received, and these it is intended to hatch
and place in the native streams. The Hamagoten, a palace
standing in beautiful grounds which border the Bay of Yedo, was
the first place visited. Having been formerly a Daimid's (baron's)
residence it became the summer palace of the empress, while
now it is used for the entertainment of illustrious strangers. The
building is old and of purely Japanese construction, but the rooms
and corridors are covered with European carpets with patterns of
little merit. To the European eye the rooms appear to be scantily
furnished, as they contain but chairs and tables, and while the
chairs are of black lacquer they are of the old round -backed
pattern which was common with us some twenty years since both
as a dining-room and bedroom chair.
In the garden surrounding the palace is a lake of the greatest
purity, a running stream, and a small waterfall, while over the
stream is a most curious bridge, for when half across the water
the bridge turns at a right angle to the left, and then again
continues its former direction, while a railing which is only placed
at one side of the bridge is on the right hand up to the bend, and
then continues on the other side.
Surrounding the lake are a series of mounds on which stand
diminutive, yet old, trees, and from the top of every mound the
bay of Yedo is in full view. One old and gnarled pine-tree, the
branches of which descend and wind amidst rocks, is almost snake
like in its character. Such trees are particularly admired by the
Japanese, as they remind them of the drawings of the dragon
winding its way amidst stones and rocks, with which they have
been familiar since their earliest infancy.
Stretching far over the lake, and supported on a light bamboo

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 37
trellis, is a westeria creeper, which when in blossom must look
perfectly charming ; but what interests the Japanese most is the
fact that the whole grounds represent a Chinese landscape in
miniature. We next visited the beautiful temple of Uyeno, where, as at
Shiba, the main building has been destroyed by fire. What
remains is indeed splendid ; but while the buildings left standing
are in some respects not quite so fine as those of Shiba, the rows
of great lanterns (each pair of which has been given by some
Prince or Daimid) are finer.
Having described one of the great Buddhist shrines of Tokio,
I will not attempt here to give any details respecting that of
Uyeno, as I shall have to notice it when speaking ofthe architecture
ofthe country. Its character may, however, be judged of from the
two ceilings shown in Figs. 17, 18.
In the evening there was a party at the Embassy, for it was old
Christmas Day — the 6th of January. The Prime Minister- — Mr.
Sanjo Saneyoshi, with his wife and his deputy — Mr. Iwakura,
were present, and other great personages, ladies and children, —
the latter being entirely in Japanese dress.
For the ladies and children, presents were arranged on a large
Christmas tree which filled the centre of the hall ; the Japanese
gentlemen were amused by a magic lantern having views of
European cities and buildings. The European guests danced.
The Japanese never themselves dance, as they can hire others
to dance for them. The Court ladies who were present in their
native costumes looked very gay and interesting : one dress
in particular I thought peculiarly beautiful. It was more of a
robe than what we know as a dress ; its ground was white, but over
the surface were strewed little summer-like flowers in the softest
of varying pinks, with here and there a speck of tender green,
while the whole was rendered lustrous with gold. The hair of
all Japanese ladies is jet-black, and most of them this evening
had it dressed in Court fashion, spread into a large flat butterfly
like bow of less than an eighth of an inch in thickness.
The next few days I spent in wandering about Tokio, looking

3&

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

at shops, picking up art objects, and watching the amusements of
the people ; on the 1 1 th we had a slight shock of earthquake.

Fig. 17.— A Ceiling in the Shrine of the Sh6gun Tokugawa Ivemitsu.
It was built in the year 1681 in connexion with the Buddhist temple at Uyeno.
A. gives the section of crossing members. B. gives the ornament at the crossings complete.
At one o'clock on this day Sir Harry
Parkes was to take me to Mr. Okubo,
the minister of the interior ; but finding
that the mail was leaving he got the
appointment deferred till the following
day. In the afternoon we viewed a small
Shinto temple, erected to the memory
of the Mikado's soldiers who fell in the
B- revolution of 1868: it is a building
formed of plain uncoloured wood, in the centre of which is a
slightly raised dais bearing a large European mirror and a small

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 39
vase formed of a joint of bamboo and filled with flowers. The
floor of the temple is covered with a white ground common
Brussels carpet of large panel pattern ; on the dais is spread a
more hideous European white felt carpet. Besides the mirror the
temple contains about eighteen caned European arm-chairs.

Fig. 18. — Part of the Ceiling of the Temple of Uyeno in Tokio.
From a model presented to the Author by the Japanese Government.

This temple is situated on high ground close to the race
course, from the bottom of which we get a splendid view of Tokio
with the bay beyond. The aspect of the city is very remarkable,
as the Castle rises conspicuously in the centre of the town. The
streets being broad, and the majority of the houses only one story
high, the space occupied by Tokio is very large. All Japanese
houses, when seen in masses from above, have rather the aspect
of hovels or a thatched Irish village, than of English towns. It
is only when we view them in detail that we see their beauties,
and in many cases it is the interior which is calculated to charm
rather than the external aspect. Turning round to re-enter our
carriage, we see proud Fujiyama rising as a rich purple cone drawn

40 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
on a glowing sky, although it is distant some sixty or eighty
miles. On the next day I went with Sir Harry Parkes to pay our
visit to the Minister of the Interior. Mr. Okubo is a man of
unusual stature even for a southern Japanese, and is more than a
head taller than the average Tokio man. His bearing is dignified,
and his manners are less set than those of some of the ministers,
while his conversation is most homely and genial. His house is
a European building, like those now fashionable with the higher
Government officials. The room into which we were shown was
upstairs, and was carpeted and furnished in European style.
Here the servants do not prostrate themselves before the
Minister as Japanese servants usually do, but behave as Europeans.
Mr. Okubo is in European dress, and so are both Mr. Sano and
Mr. Asami.
Our conversation turned chiefly on the native art manu
factures ; and the Minister requested me to draw up a report on
Japanese commerce with Europe, and the means by which it may
be increased. During my visit I called attention to the fact
that much might be done in the way of preventing the disastrous
fires with which Tokio is so frequently visited, by compelling all
owners of houses to saturate the wood used in their construc
tion, and the paper of which the windows are formed, with
tungstate of soda, or some allied chemical substance. The fires
in Tokio are most disastrous. Indeed, it is said that a number
of houses equal in number with those forming the entire city are
destroyed every ten years by fire.
Mr. Okubo, although the Minister of the Interior, is, in reality,
the leading spirit of Japan. He took an active part in the
revolution of 1868, in which the Mikado was brought from his
seclusion and restored to the government of his people. Mr.
Okubo fought his way to power, and when the Mikado assumed
the reigns of government was raised to the high office which he
now holds, and which he justly won by his prowess in the field.
To Mr. Okubo is primarily due what we may call the intro
duction of a European civilisation into Japan. And no man

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 41
could have been more alive to the value of certain European
contrivances than this accomplished minister. Japan now boasts
a telegraphic system as perfect as that of an)' European country ;
its coast is rendered safe by numerous lighthouses ; its postal
system is being rapidly developed ; the streets of some of its larger
towns are already lit by gas ; steam fire-engines have taken the
place of useless little pumps ; a regular system of police has
been established ; two railways have been constructed ; good roads
are being made, and excellent bridges built ; and all this may be
said to be due to Mr. Okubo. I may perhaps be permitted to
mention here certain facts respecting Mr. Okubo, although they
did not occur till after my return to England. I shall have occa
sion to refer to him but rarely in this book, he being now dead.
After my return to England I received from Mr. Okubo a
letter which was shortly followed by another from my friend Mr.
Mounsey. Of Mr. Okubo's letter the following is a copy, while
from Mr. Mounsey's I extract the passages which relate to Mr.
Okubo's sad end, and to the report which he requested me to
write : — " 26th of 3d month 11th year Meiji.
" Dr. Dresser.
" Sir — In January of last ioth year Meiji, you have brought the
articles sent by Mr. Owen to our museum, and I am much obliged that you
have taken the trouble to arrange them. After your returning home last
April the articles have been exhibited to all the people, and I have notified
all through the country your valuable informations regarding to the important
points of industry, which you have given to the officer who attended you
during your visit to several industrial establishments. It must be for your
kindness that I could make all industrial men to understand the points which
were obscure heretofore, and I can assure you that in the future time they will
make a progress and bring that interest upon the commerce.
" During your visit you have requested our museum to make the models
of ornamental ceiling of several temples at Tokio, and now they have been
finished. " Although they are very trifling and not enough to compensate your last
service, I present them to you through Mr. C. J. Strome, and you will please
accept them as the token of my highest regard. — With compliments,
" Okubo Toshimichi,
" Minister of Interior Department."

42 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
" Yedo, July 9, 1878.
" Dear Dr. Dresser — I have to thank you very cordially for your kind
letter of the 17th May, as well as for its most interesting enclosure — the report
which you have addressed to Mr. Okubo. You will have learnt by the papers
that that gentleman was brutally assassinated on the 14th of the same month
as he was driving to a Cabinet Council at the Mikado's palace. His carriage
was stopped by six men armed with the sharp deadly swords you know so
well, who had been lying in ambush for him. They first hamstrung the
horses and killed the coachman. Poor Okubo tried to get out of his brougham ;
there were two men with drawn swords at the door, he tried the other side —
there were as many there too. A fearful moment the poor man must have
had when he thus saw death on all sides. They pulled him out and hacked
him to pieces, and then went and delivered themselves up at the Palace, pro
claiming that they were actuated by purely patriotic motives. Since then all
the ministers are accompanied by escorts of mounted men, who ride with
drawn swords. Ito has succeeded Okubo, and he told me the other night that
he had just received your report, but had not yet had time to digest it.
" . .1 must now congratulate you on having so clearly pointed out
to the Japanese Government the sort of way in which they can augment
their exports. With regard to the articles which you instance as certain to
sell in our markets, they ought to be most grateful to you for the care you
have taken in their description. ... I think and hope that the Japs will
find your information so valuable that they will ask your advice again before
long. Sir Harry Parkes begs me thank you for having sent it to the Legation,
and thinks its contents most useful and valuable. Saumarez read it with great
interest, and agrees with me in admiring your story and the way you tell it,
and I may add that Mrs. Mounsey perused it with much pleasure. . . .
Mrs. Mounsey desires to be kindly remembered to you, and I remain, yours
truly, AUG. H. Mounsey."

This was indeed a sad ending to a great life, and the effect
of his removal from the work which he had in hand cannot yet
be accurately estimated.
The receipt of my report was acknowledged by Mr. Okubo's
successor, who warmly thanked me for the trouble I had taken
in its preparation.
My time during the next few days was occupied chiefly in
paying necessary visits and in studying the manufactures. One
of these visits was to Madame C. de Struve, the wife of the
Russian Ambassador (now, I regret to say, deceased). This

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 43
lady was an assiduous collector of teapots, of which she had
more than seven hundred specimens, no two being alike.
On the morning of the 16th January General Saigo and
Mr. Asami called to take me to the arsenal, the mint, and some
other important places. Mr. Asami kindly acted as interpreter.
The arsenal occupies a portion of a garden arranged two or three
hundred years ago by a family from which the last Shdgun sprang.
In the buildings of the arsenal I heard the hum of machinery
for the first time in Japan, and I cannot help feeling that while
the art of war may be encouraged by its aid, the arts of peace
and industry can only thereby lose the charms which they have
hitherto possessed. In the factory guns were being made and
small arms altered, but all this had but little interest for me. In
the first place, there was no art merit in the things produced ;
and in the second, the processes employed were all European.
The garden surrounding the factories is, however, very beauti
ful, and, like many of the most celebrated in Japan, represents
in miniature a Chinese scene. In the garden are some lovel)'
summer pavilions, their little lattice windows being most charming
in design. Yet these are all perishing for lack of attention,
while the lattices are falling, bit by bit, upon the ground. It
is indeed lamentable that such exquisite structures should go
to ruin, yet I fear that European civilisation is likely to prove
fatal to some of the finest monuments of the country : but why
it should be so I cannot divine. No nation can afford to do
away with its ancient monuments. If they are of great excellence
in design they tend to uphold the character of national manufac
tures ; and by attracting visitors to a country the money which
they spend in the land contributes to its wealth. I feel sure that
if the magnificence of some of the great temples and shrines of
which Japan can boast were widely known, many would journey
even from Europe to see them ; but while some of the temples
are beautiful beyond all description signs of decay are but too
apparent in almost all.
From the arsenal we went to the great Confucian Temple,
which, up to the time of the revolution in 1868, was the

44 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Japanese university where 4000 students — the sons of nobles
and daimios — were educated.
Confucianism, I need scarcely say, is in no way a religion ;
it has no concern for a future life, of which Confucius said that
he knew nothing. As a system of ethics it provides only for the
relation of man with man. The classics of Japan, as taught in
the universities, were all Confucian writings. The Japanese had
no natural sciences although great observers of nature, and
their knowledge of mathematics was small. This great Confucian
Temple was to Japan what a university such as that of Oxford
is to us, and the glory of the building resulted, as the Japanese
express it, from its being dedicated to learning.
Now all things are changed. The students are dispersed
and the university is no more. The study of the natural sciences,
of mathematics, and of languages, has replaced that of Con
fucianism, and European professors have supplanted the learned
men of the nation ; but the wheel of fortune is again moving, and
Japanese professors are teaching the natural sciences which they
have learned from Europeans.
As a building the great Confucian Temple is in a high degree
sombre, consisting internally of nothing but black lacquered
wood : the columns are black, the walls are black, and the ceiling
is black ; and the only relief which is given to this monotony is
afforded by the bronze sockets which encase the bases of the
columns ; yet even these are dark in colour. In one particular,
however, this edifice differs from all others that I have yet seen
in Japan, for its roof is of open structure (no ceiling), while in the
carving (though this exists in but small quantities) representations
of animals are much more common than those of plants.
This edifice is now the great national library of Japan, and
here are already collected some thousands of volumes, a catalogue
of which was kindly given to me by the worthy librarian.
Leaving the university building we visited a large temple
which seems to have but few worshippers ; but here I was
pleased with the almost interminable passages, the numerous
rooms, and sweet little gardens connected with the building. On

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 45
the altar stands a pierced earthen vessel of celadon ware, which
is lined with brass and contains the ashes of burnt incense ; and
here also rests a carved branch of the Nelumbium (the Buddhist
lotus), strikingly Egyptian in character (Fig. 1 9). To the likeness

Fig. 19. — Object carved in imitation of a spkay of the Buddhist Lotus.
Buddha is said to hold this in his hand when he prays for his mother.
subsisting between the arts of the ancient Egyptians and that of
Japan I shall have frequently to call attention.
We now visit that portion of the mint in which Japanese
bank notes are printed ; but here the subtleties of electric etching
and European methods of printing are practised. At the arsenal,
at the mint, and at one weaving factory in Kioto which I visited
some weeks later, European mechanism was employed ; but in
no other instance did I see any indication of the native methods
being superseded by European appliances.
The next morning was occupied chiefly in seeing the things
unpacked which I took out from England to the National
Museum. Nearly all, happily, proved to be in sound condition.
The sky this morning was overcast, and by eleven snow fell ;
but at five in the afternoon the heavens were once more cloudless,
while, later, there was a glorious sunset. The night was bright,
cold, and starlight.
January 1 8. — This morning I went with Mr. Mounsey to
Yokohama by the 8.15 train, where we engaged jinrikishas to
take us to Kamakura, a town about seventeen miles distant on
the other side of the promontory which forms the southern
boundary of Yedo Bay. The road is of a very imperfect char
acter, and lies through a long valley of rice-fields, while in one place
it passes over a high bluff. In Japan the rice-fields in some cases

46 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
extend for many miles together, and are even terraced on the sides
of the hills. This terracing of nearly empty mud-ponds, for such
the rice-fields look at this season of the year, as the fields are all
sunk below the banks which separate them, and the water has run
off from the soil, gives to the landscape a strange aspect.
Rising from the valley as we approach its head, we come to
the bluffs or sandbanks which seem to separate the land at the
north side of the promontory from that of the south. This bluff
resembles the sandbanks with which we are familiar at Scheven-
ingen, Ostend, and Deal : and like these is filled with the roots
of the carex or sandgrass. It may be worthy of remark that
Japan has no true grass which will serve as fodder for sheep.
The rough carex covers much of the country ; but as this dies
down to the ground in winter many hills become bare during the
cold months of the year, and give an uninteresting character to
the landscape. The absence of grass causes mutton to be very
dear in Japan (it is about 2s. 6d. per pound in the open ports
where alone meat of any kind can be had, save in one or two of
the largest towns in which European ideas are being adopted), for
the sheep have to be fed in China and taken to Japan. Beef,
however, is only 5d. per pound, as oxen will eat the coarser food.
In order to ease our coolies we walk over the bluff, and they
follow with our tiny carriages ; but after passing the summit the
road becomes narrower and narrower till it disappears altogether.
A by-path traversing a bank which separates two groups of
rice-fields is the highway over which our jinrikishas carry us ;
but as this road is cut by many watercourses bridged over only
by two stones the ride becomes exciting, for we have often to
consider whether the space between the wheels of our jinrikishas
is greater than the width of the bridge.
These little difficulties surmounted, we come upon what was
once a great city — the town of Kamakura. This town is now
little more than a village, although larger than Yedo at one
time. It is situated on a lovely island -studded bay, the sands
of which are rich in shells, and reminds me of Bantry in Ireland.
Here is a temple recently restored and somewhat vulgarly re-

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 47
decorated which boasts of presents received by the first Shogun
from the Crown as far back as the year 1 180 ; but our pilgrimage
is to the Great Buddha or Dai-butz.
We soon approached richly wooded land, and through an open
ing in the trees beheld the colossal figure. This Dai-butz, formed of
bronze, is forty-seven feet in height, although in a sitting posture.
It has been formed of parts of about six feet square, which have
been brazed together, and thus the whole figure now consists
of one huge mass of metal. Figures of Dai-butz rest usually
on a lily (the flower of the Nelumbium) ; but in this case the base
is represented by only two petals of the flower which lean against
the wall to the right and left of the figure, for it has never been
completed. The figure sits in dignified repose with a most
placid expression of countenance. From its forehead protrudes
a boss representing a jewel from which light is supposed to
flow, and which symbolises an idea similar to that expressed in
our Scriptures — " I am the light of the world." The hands of
the figure are so placed that the thumbs meet at their points, the
backs being downwards, while the fingers assume a vertical
position. The figure is draped in a graceful manner, leaving
only the bosom exposed. In front of it stands a table -like
altar, on which rest two bronze vases, a bronze censer, and two
vessels for flowers. The bronze vases each contain a group of
leaves and flowers of the Buddhist lotus (the Nelumbium), which
have been beautifully modelled and charmingly cast. The altar
is six feet in height, while the brazen lilies with their vases
are even higher still ; yet the altar with its flowers looks small
when compared with the vast figure against which they are seen.
To the right and to the left of the figure there is a bronze
pedestal-lantern, of about ten feet in height. Having carefully
inspected this figure externally we walk into its interior, for it
is hollow, and is fitted up within as a shrine or chapel. On
approaching the altar we see the results of an act of snobbery
which is in the highest degree contemptible ; for on the forehead
of one of the figures which stands upon the altar some English
or American cad has written his name in ultramarine blue.

48 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
An act so disgraceful cannot be too strongly condemned. I
cannot help feeling that only a snob of a very low type would
write his name on any work of art, but when a sacred altar is thus
desecrated the offender would be fitly punished by being dragged
at a cart-tail and whipped through the town.
Climbing the ladder, we ascend to a platform within the
figure, from which a view of the surrounding country and bay
can be had through an opening in the head, and afterwards
descend to luncheon in the open air.
With the back of a grouse in one hand, and bread in the
other, I wander around the figure, and notice over the shoulder-
blades two large metal loops, the nature and object of which I
fail to understand. Mr. Mounsey, as much puzzled with them
as myself, appeals to his native interpreter and asks their use.
The question is at once answered by the words " for the
shine," but as this throws no light upon the matter, we ask
how the word is spelt, when the reply is s-h-i-n-e. Varying
the question in every possible way, we only arrive at the one
answer, " for the shine," and with this we are obliged to be
content. To the right of the Buddha is a little stall such as we often
find at religious places in Japan. This stall is attended by a
priest who sells drawings of the sacred figure, maps of the district,
charms against evil, pictures of Daikoku — a favourite god of
Japan — and other sacred prints. The cost of these things is but
trifling, while the figures sold are in some cases of great interest
as they reveal the origin of certain symbols which are common to
Buddhism and Christianity. The evils from which immunity can
be purchased by the charms are of almost every kind ; but the
charms appear to me to be simply folded bits of paper of about
four inches in length and one inch in breadth so gummed up that
they cannot be opened, and bearing an inscription which specifies
the evil guarded against, and a red stamp, which may be said to
be the sacred seal of the temple. One of the charms which I
bought was against smallpox, another against the dangers of
travel, another against evil generally, and so on ; but the ailments

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 49
to be averted by a small expenditure at this holy spot are
legion. On our homeward journey we visited a temple of great import
ance, adorned with images of the five hundred disciples of
Buddha — and strange indeed they look — as well as by three
magnificent wood -carvings by one of the greatest carvers that
Japan has ever seen, and some beautiful lattice-work.
We were on the point of leaving this edifice when our inter
preter, with beaming countenance and excited manner, pointed to
an image straight before us, and exclaimed " The shine ! the
shine !" We now understand what he attempted to explain
when we were viewing the great Dai-butz, for the head of this
figure is encircled by a Nimbus, and what we saw on the shoulders
of the great figure were the fixings for this appendage to the
colossal figure at Kamakura.
We had scarcely re-entered our jinrikishas when our interpreter
insisted upon our alighting at a tea-house, in spite of our protesta
tions that we had just fared sumptuously. Although he had
shared what to us had been an ample meal, he seemed dissatisfied
with the cake and tea now offered to him, and ordered three raw
eggs, which were speedily brought in a saucer, together with some
soy to serve as a sauce. Taking the eggs from the saucer he
placed them on the floor, and breaking the shell of one he poured
its contents on the dish, adding a little soy, and putting the saucer
to his mouth, swallowed the morsel as we should an oyster.
Having treated the others in the same way, he drank sundry cups
of tea, and then said calmly that he was ready for the journey.
This little freak of our worthy interpreter was the more remark
able as the Japanese eat often and but little at a time ; indeed,
Japan is a land of littles. Their most beautiful objects are
generally little : the knob of a stick or the button (netsuki) of
a tobacco pouch is often an artwork of the highest elaboration,
and their dainty foods are served in small portions. Possibly the
country air gave our guide an unusually good appetite. On our
asking what should be paid, the interpreter explained that to ask
for a bill would give the greatest possible offence to a Japanese
E

So • JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
hotelkeeper. You never pay, you simply give ; and the present
for the light refreshment of tea and cake would be about two
pence or twopence-halfpenny in our money.
We return to Yokohama by road, and reach Tokio by a late
train. A message respecting my presentation to the Mikado was
brought to me next day by Mr. Sakata, an old friend whom I had
had the pleasure of entertaining some years ago at my house in
London. The meeting was a pleasure and a surprise to both,
as when he came to make his official call he had not the slightest
expectation of seeing his old London friend, thinking it was
some one else of the same name, nor I of seeing him. His
message was that the Mikado would give me audience at two
o'clock on the following day. He said that it was to be a
private interview, and gave me a copy of the speech which the
Emperor was to make, asking me to be ready with a short
reply. Of this speech I asked Sir Harry Parkes to let me have
a translation. January 20. — Morning as fine as ever, sky almost cloudless,
sun bright and warm.
The following is the English of the address which the Mikado
is to make this afternoon : —
Speech of His Majesty, the Tenno (ten-Heaven, no-Emperor ;
also called Tenshi, Ten and Shi-child), to Dr. Dresser, January
20, 1877. — "We shall long preserve in our memory the remem
brance of a collection of articles manufactured in England and
other countries, having been made at the South Kensington
Museum in your country, and presented thereby to the Japanese
Museum ; and also of your own kindness in coming to Japan to
display to the eyes of our people the nature and appearance of
articles manufactured in Europe ; and to point out to their minds
the road leading to advance and improvement of arts. We
trust that your visit to Japan may be free from accident, and a
pleasant one."
To this speech, which is said to be longer than the speeches
of the Mikado usually are, I prepared the following reply : —

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 51
" I feelingly appreciate the honour which your Imperial
Majesty has done me in giving me a personal reception.
" The small present, of which I have been the bearer, to your
Majesty's National Museum was got together at the suggestion
of Mr. P. C. Owen, the director of the South Kensington Museum
in London. For the objects I am indebted to Messrs. Londos
and Co., who gave the greater number, to Messrs. Green and
Nephew, Messrs. Doulton, Messrs. Elkington, and Mr. Jno.
Lewis, all of London ; to Messrs. Jno. Brinton and Co. of Kidder
minster, and to Messrs. Ward and Cope of Nottingham.
" For years past I have been an admirer and collector of
Japanese objects, and the greatest desire of my life is now real
ised in visiting your Majesty's most charming country.
" I humbly beg that your Majesty may be pleased to order
the adoption of such means as will preserve to your Majesty's
people their national arts in a form unpolluted by European
influences, for the ornamentists of our western countries feel that
it is their privilege humbly to follow the great artists of your
Majesty's dominions.
" If your Majesty will allow me the honour of so doing, I
will from time to time forward to your Majesty's National
Museum specimens of our most recent manufactures, and if I can
be of any service to your Majesty's industries, or be the means of
promoting the commerce of your Majesty's country, either during
my stay here in Japan, or when I have returned to England, I
beg that your Majesty will allow me the honour of placing my
services at your Majesty's disposal.
" I thank your Majesty most humbly and sincerely for the
great honour you now do me."
About 1 1 o'clock this morning Mr. Sakata called for this
answer, so that it might be translated for the Mikado.
Arrayed in evening dress according to my instructions, I
was taken by Mr. Tanaka, the vice-president of the museum,
and Mr. Sakata, who was also in English evening dress, to
the palace, which is a ten minutes' drive from the Embassy.
At the outer gate sentinels gave us the European royal salute,

5 2 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
and driving through a garden, we passed a second gate and
drew up under the portico. Here large low doors stood open,
and four servants conducted us along the corridors of the house,
at one side of which is a boundary-wall and the other window
like " slides."
The temporary palace of the Mikado (for the old palace was
recently burnt down) is a large Japanese house (yashiki) of the
usual simple construction and one story in height. The passages,
and such rooms as I saw, have their floors covered with European
carpets — some tapestry and some Brussels, but in most cases the
pattern is such as we should consider artistically bad. An ante
room into which we were shown had a black slate chimney-piece
decorated with coloured ornament and an open European grate.
The wall slides, although of Japanese character, were covered with
a cheap French wall-paper, and the ceiling had a paper of similar
character with an elongated geometrical pattern. In the centre
of the room was a table over which fell, in ample folds, a cloth
of soft low-toned green-yellow colour enriched with the figures
of dragons arranged as circular devices. The circles, about six
inches in diameter, were irregularly distributed over the surface
of the cloth, so that, in some cases, they came nearly together,
while in others they were four inches apart. On the centre of the
table stood a cigar-box. The carpet was of miserable pattern.
Around the table was arranged six European chairs with carved
ogee legs and curved and open backs. The seats of these chairs
were covered with terry silk of imperial purple colour, and figured
with a pattern in velvet or plush, and when this velvet figure
was looked upon from above gold was visible in its ground.
By the side of the table stood a hibachi (or fire-holder) of
simple character, the stand of which, worked in plain pine-wood,
consisted of a hoop about three inches wide (resembling the hoop
of a sieve) at the top, three legs, which were attached to it, and a
circular disc fixed, like the hoop, between the three legs, but
about two inches below it. On this disc rested the brazen
hibachi, while the rim, by encircling it, prevented its falling.
The stand of the hibachi was of such a height that the fire

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 53
was brought to almost the same level as the table, and through
the legs spreading in a downward direction the danger of up
setting the fire was diminished. This was the entire furniture
of the room.
Two gentlemen in gorgeous Court dresses now enter our room,
one being favoured with a little more gold lace than the other.
Having been presented first to the latter, who is the minister of
the household, then to the former, who is the master of cere
monies, I am now conducted by them to the throne -room,
where I am to be received by the Mikado. It is a long, narrow
room, having its two sides formed of paper slides, the end at
which we enter open, and the opposite end closed by a solid
partition. My instructions are that I am to come to a certain
spot at the centre of the open end and bow ; that I am then to
advance one step and bow again ; that I am then to take about
four steps — to advance three yards — and bow again. The only
piece of furniture in this room is a European arm-chair, evidently
belonging to the same suite as the small chairs in the anteroom,
and covered with the same material. This throne stands in the
centre of the distant end of the room in front of the solid
partition. We now return to the anteroom, when, in about two minutes,
the minister of the household, who had remained behind, enters
and says that the Mikado will see us. Mr. Tanaka walks first,
I second, Sakata last. Mr. Tanaka does not, however, enter the
royal presence. Following my instructions as to bowing and
advancing, I find myself about eight feet from the Mikado.
On my right, and close to the wall (or wall slides), and a
little nearer the Emperor than I am, stands the master of cere-
emonies, while on my left, and opposite to the master of cere
monies, stands the minister of the household : both have bowed
three times as we have done, and both, having taken their places,
stand with bowed heads.
The Mikado looks to me to be about twenty-seven years of
age, is of medium height for a Japanese (short for us), wears a
solemn expression, and stands, as I see him, in a slightly stoop-

54 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
ing posture. He wears a European military dress, bright with
gold lace.
When we entered the throne-room he was standing with his
face towards us in front of his throne. He bent his head slightly
but did not bow, and at once began to read his address (Fig. 20),
audibly, distinctly, and apparently with feeling. Knowing that I
could not understand the language in which he was speaking, he

st £ #f tfc *&> $

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y ¥ 3 m "9 * |
i H * 1 # I
f 7 | f ^ ft^
I ^r I * ^ f *

Fig. 20. — Facsimile in reduced size of the very Address from which the Mikado read.
The day following my reception by the Emperor, His Majesty sent me the very paper from
which he read as a special compliment. My interpreter informed me that this is the first
time that such a thing has been done to any foreigner.
must have been aware that he was wasting his royal " sweet
ness on the desert air," yet his manner in no way indicated
any impatience. I now read in English my reply to His
Majesty's address, and then handed the translation of it to my
interpreter, who read it to the Emperor in soft and respectful
tones, being only a little puzzled with some of the European
names. This done, we bowed and walked backwards out of the
royal presence.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

55

i
_l
<
u
r
When we had re-entered our carriage, and departed after a
royal salute from the guards, Mr. Sakata informed me, by request
of Mr. Tanaka, that to them the honour of driving to the palace
door is very great, for no Japanese, save a minister of state, or a
personal friend of the Emperor, may do so ; and even then they
are not permitted to enter by this door, which is reserved
expressly for honoured strangers.
Thus, then, I have gazed on a man who is still in the eyes of his
subjects the son of the Gods
and the Emperor of Heaven.
Things are strangely changed,
for only a few years back the
subject, to say nothing of a
foreigner, would have paid for
this sight with his life.
My next outing is to a
Japanese theatre, but, unfor
tunately for me, the three chief
theatres of Tokio have been
burnt in the fires which have
lately wrought so much de
struction in the city ; and as
the great actors never act in
one of the minor theatres of
the capital I have to judge
of the Japanese drama in a
second-class house, and from
a second-rate company. The
theatre is a curious building,
the exterior of which it would
be difficult to describe as it
bears but little resemblance to
any European edifice, and the entrance is overhung by pictures
and flags arranged somewhat in the manner of a canopy. Internally
the building is a parallelogram, with a ground floor and a gallery,
much in the fashion of a Methodist chapel in a small English
xr
Fig. 21.— Ground-Plan of Theatre at Tokio.
Showing Circular Revolving Stage, a A a, Stalls
where tickets are sold.
5°

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 22. — Section of Box or Pit of
Theatre. The tops of the partitions
(a a) form the Aisles.

town. I ascend the stairs and enter a box. But let no one for
one moment suppose that the box of a Japanese theatre has any
likeness to that of a European opera-house. Both the floor and
the gallery of the Japanese theatre may be said to consist of
boxes, which yet are rather pits than boxes. Their character and
A A arrangement will be better under
stood if I compare them to a series
of regularly arranged "pens" in one
of our cattle markets.
There are two entrances to the
theatre, one to the right and one to
the left of the street face, with earth
as their floors, and level with the road. Here the native clogs
are left, and the visitor purchases his ticket. A platform, running
across the whole width of
the theatre, is extended
downwards throughout
the length of the building
as two aisles, which in
their turn meet a trans
verse platform at the
inner end of the house,
which may be regarded
as an extension of the
stage. To the right of
the aisle, or to the left,
as the case may be, and
arranged close to the
wall, is a series of boxes,
pits, or cells, whichever we
may call them, and square
in shape. These boxes
are separated from one
another by narrow branch
aisles, and have their floors level with the street ; thus it may be
said that the places assigned to visitors are seats in square pits

Fig. 23. — Plan of Gallery of Theatre at Yedo.
Behind the bamboo screen (a a) the "gods " stand.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 57
about fifteen inches below the level of the aisles, and into which
you jump when you take your place, rather than boxes such as
we have in our theatres. At the opposite side of the theatre is a
similar row of boxes, and between the two principal longitudinal
aisles are arranged in rows a considerable number of these square
boxes, while the gallery is portioned out in a like manner (Figs. 2 1,
22, 23).
It is curious to see the visitors walking along the broad aisles
and then balancing themselves on the narrow planks which are
only the flat tops of the partitions separating the boxes ; and it
is equally strange to see the people kneeling on the matted floors
of their little cells in family groups sipping tea, eating sweets, or
even boiling water in a kettle.
The stage is seen from the auditorium almost precisely as
our own, but its back is formed of a plain curtain, and all the
scenery consists of actual models of the objects required ; houses
nearly as large as ordinary dwellings, and trees and other things
in proportion, being placed on the stage. When the scenery has
to be changed, it becomes apparent that the stage is a vast circle
swung on a central pivot, and that as much of it is behind the
curtain as is in front. This arrangement has one advantage, for
while the play is going on new scenery is being arranged on the
distant half of the stage ; and to change the scene all that is
necessary is the pulling up of the curtain and the twisting round
of the stage. There is this further peculiarity in a Japanese
theatre, that the actors enter behind the audience, coming through
black curtains with white figures, near the doors where the public
enter. It must also be remembered that no women are employed
on the Japanese stage, men taking women's parts as well as
their own.
Having entered, the actors advance along the main aisles,
acting during their progress, till they reach the inner end of the
platform and the adjoining stage. I saw a horse brought along
this aisle, which was a make-up exactly after the fashion of our
stage horses. Behind those boxes in the gallery which face the
stage is a screen formed of vertical and horizontal pieces of

58

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

i
1
I
\
T
1
I
Fig. 24. — Elevation of Bamboo Screen (a a,
Fig. 23), through which the " gods " look.
bamboo, at the back of which poor persons stand, and through
which they look at the performance. In the way of decoration,
we have strips of richly-
figured cotton cloths hang
ing from the galleries and
from the ceiling in such
numbers that from my posi
tion in the corner of the
gallery I am unable to dis
cover the nature of the roof
which covers us.
The theatre opens at
six in the morning, and
closes at from six to nine in the evening, and a Japanese will
go with his wife and family, taking provisions with him or getting
them there, and remain the whole day.
Of the acting I can say but little, for in the first place my
visit was short, and in the second for the perfect understanding of
the piece a more intimate acquaintance with Japanese usages than
I then had was needed. However, it altogether surpassed my
expectations, and it was better than much that we see at our
own play-houses. On the morning of the 2 2d I took my leave
of Sir Harry Parkes, and returning to Yokohama, there found Mr.
Arnold Crossley of Halifax.
Hearing that Mr. Sano had prepared a great treat for me,
asking five of the greatest artists of Japan to his house for the
purpose of making sketches, Sir Harry and Lady Parkes, Mr.
and Mrs. Mounsey, and Mr. Crossley, expressed a wish to be
present. Mr. Sano kindly assented.
The room in which we assembled to see the artists is of
considerable size, and is one of those which Mr. Sano has not
furnished in the European manner. The artists kneel upon the
floor, which is covered with mats, as is usual in a Japanese house.
On the centre of the floor is spread a piece of red felt, on which,
held down by weights, rests a sheet of paper, which is smooth
and yet of a somewhat bibulous character. The tools of each
ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 59
artist are a small piece of charcoal held in a light bamboo
porte-crayon, about fourteen inches long and very slender ; flat
brushes formed of deers' hair, varying in width from three inches
to one inch and three-quarters, while the hairs protrude from the
socket about three-quarters or seven -eighths of an inch, round
brushes in bamboo, and formed of white vegetable fibres, and
about half an inch in diameter, plenty of water in a large bowl,
Indian ink with its accompanying slab, and a few colours.
There is one old flower-painter in whom I ultimately become
much interested, for he is full of innocent humour, and his ability
as an artist seems as great as his fun. His colours are Indian ink,
indigo, gamboge, crimson lake, and red earth. One of the other
artists includes in his pigments a kind of dragon's-blood colour.
The artist who is to paint first comes forward, bows in Japan
ese fashion, and takes his place in front of the paper. He is an
elderly gentleman, and after having looked thoughtfully at the
paper for a minute or two, begins his work. Taking the porte-
crayon, he touches the paper with the charcoal point at four or
five places, so as just to leave a perceptible dot ; and then with
his flat brush three inches broad, charged with Indian ink,
makes on the paper, by an almost instantaneous dash, a large
irregular mass of gray-black colour. With a smaller brush he
now indicates, in close proximity to the gray mass, what appear
to be a few feathers, next, at a little distance, the end of a pendent
branch. Then, beginning at the top of the paper, he works the
branch downwards till it is in the line of the end which was first
drawn. Now an eye is drawn, then a bill, then come a few bits
of colour, and we see completed in less than fifteen minutes, a
cock and hen pecking in front of a branch of a tree, and, curiously,
a great portion of the white body of the hen is rather indicated
than drawn ; for as the body of the cock is gray (being the large
mass of this colour which was first placed upon the paper), and as
the white hen is seen against the black cock, the stopping of the
black gives the form of a great portion of the hen's body. This
interesting sketch was kindly presented to me by Mr. Sano.
The same artist next drew a small landscape ; but it is

60 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
scarcely necessary to say that Japanese landscapes lack the charm
of their drawings of birds, fishes, insects, and flowers.
The old flower -painter, of whom I have before spoken, now
took his place before the paper, and after looking at it as though
he were picturing in his own mind a group of flowers already
painted, made, like the former artist, two or three dots with the
charcoal upon the paper, and filling a brush with some green
pigment, began by forming here and there certain pseony leaves —
one leaflet at a touch ; but although from time to time he some
what varied the colour in the brush, no two parts of the same
leaflet differed in tint. With another brush he formed a red
pseony flower, — shading each leaf by a dexterous application of a
little water to the paper before the red was wholly absorbed.
Rolling up the paper at the bottom (a practice which all the
artists adopt when they wish to work at the upper part of the
sheet), he draws petals of an unfolded bud. Now with faint
Indian ink he forms both flowers and buds of the magnolia, then
he arranges pink petals into groups, resembling the flowers of the
almond, and afterwards forms clusters of red masses, so that they
ultimately appear as the peeping petals of red flower buds.
The masses of colour being thus carefully distributed with
due regard to the laws of composition (a regard for the dis
tribution of masses which may be commended to the authorities
of the art schools at South Kensington), the stalks are so drawn
that all the isolated parts are brought together with marvellous
skill. Then the calyces are added, after which comes a little
touching-up, as the formation of veins in a few leaves, the addition
of certain bits of pure colour, and a spot of dark here and there.
Judging from my knowledge of European artists, I doubt whether
any one could produce a sketch of such excellence in anything
like the time in which our Japanese artist produced his work ;
and although I myself am a trained draughtsman, and was as a
young man engaged exclusively in studying plants and drawing
flowers, I own my utter inability to produce so rapidly a sketch
comparable with that which is now before us.
A young lady, who is, I understand, a flower-painter to the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 61
Empress, now made a sketch of a little yellow flower allied to
our winter aconite, but it appears as though just bought in the
market, for the root is tied up in a bit of paper. This sketch
took the lady about ten minutes to complete. She was followed
by a young man, who made a drawing of a flying duck, which
is " worked " much in the manner of the first sketch ; but the
skill with which the body, with its light, shade, and outline, was
managed, was truly marvellous. A brush of considerable- breadth
was dipped in water and drawn between the fingers of the artist
till nearly dry. It was then dipped in a thin wash of Indian
ink, the central portion of the brush being bent outwards, so
that the hairs of the brush assumed a crescent-like form. The
convex or centre portion was now hastily dipped into dark Indian
ink, and the brush was allowed to straighten itself. Two or
three hairs were now separated from one side and dipped into
dark ink, but these remained detached from the other part of the
brush. By a dexterous movement the artist produced with one
stroke the shaded body of the duck and an outline, the few separate
hairs making the latter, while the shading resulted from the darker
ink of the centre not having fully spread to the sides of the brush.
A bill is now drawn, then* feet, and then tail-feathers. An
eye is added, then follows a neck, legs, and a few finishing touches
when an admirable sketch of a flying duck is before us.
After two or three other drawings are made the middle-aged
man, who painted the domestic fowls, kneels again in front of the
baize, and begins what we all take to be a sea-piece, which he is
drawing simply in Indian ink. Like the last artist, this gentle
man produces a tint and an outline at the same time, and by the
same method. After what we take to be waves are finished, and,
when we expect the artist to place in the water fish, or upon it
junks, he simply adds a few dots and dark touches, and signs his
name. It is now held up to view, when, to our astonishment, the
sketch is that of a train of rats, with one or two members of the
party straying from the others. What we took to be waves prove
only to be a background, against which the rounded backs of
white rats appear ;— the uncoloured paper forming the animals.

62 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Fans were now offered to the various artists, and on these
sketches were soon placed, the crenated character of the surface
apparently in no way increasing the difficulty of the work.
Having had tea in an adjoining room, we returned to see an
amusement in which Japanese artists often indulge. A sheet of
paper being spread on the baize one of the company goes forward,
and dipping a brush in Indian ink makes some simple device.
In this case a cross was formed in the middle of the paper about
two feet in height by fifteen inches in width. One of the artists
called to the paper is told to draw a lady so that this cross shall
become an unobtrusive portion of the drawing. With a few
dexterous strokes, and in three brief minutes, he finished his work
in a very admirable manner ; but the cross, being still slightly
visible, somewhat marred a very excellent sketch. The entertain
ment had been intended, I learnt, for the whole evening. Unfor
tunately an engagement to dine with some friends forced me to
tear myself away at 6.30, very greatly to my regret. While in
Japan Mr. Sano contributed much to my enjoyment, but nothing
that he did gave me the pleasure that I derived from the enter
tainment provided for me this afternoon.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 63

CHAPTER III.
Preparation for long journey — By water to Kobe — Entrance of the Mikado into Kobe —
Awadji, Sanda, Arima, Nara — The Mikado's antiquities.
The next two or three days were spent at Yokohama in
arranging for a long journey into the interior, for through the
kindness of the authorities I am permitted to travel in any part
of Japan, and the ministers insist that during the rest of my stay
I shall consider myself the guest of the nation.
Before starting on my journey I very imperfectly appreciated
the favours and the inestimable advantages which I was to reap
through the preparations so thoughtfully made for my enjoyment
and well-being by the Japanese Government. Wherever I went,
the manufacturers of the town in which I stayed were brought
before me, and I had an opportunity of seeing whatever was
interesting either in the way of architecture, antiquities, or manu
factures. Mr. Tanaka of the Tokio Museum arrived at my hotel with
Mr. Ishida and Mr. Sakata, who are to form my escort during
my future journeyings in the country, Ishida undertaking the
finance and official duties, while Sakata acts as my guide and
interpreter. I may here say that no two gentlemen could have
acted with more kindness and consideration than they did through
out the whole of our travels, nor could any have more faithfully
served the Government in whose service they were. Poor Ishida
is now dead, or I should wish him every advancement possible ;
and as for Sakata, I can only hope that he will rise to a position
that will reward his faithfulness.

64 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
At 2.30 we stepped into a boat at the custom-house pier,
with Mr. James Saumarez, who will accompany us during the few
first days of our travels. Bidding adieu to Mr. Tanaka, we
pulled to the ship on which we have taken passage for Kobe.
This steamer, which belongs to the Japanese Government, must
be considered as fairly comfortable, and is built on the plan of
an American river-boat. Saumarez and I have a cabin between
us — he having the upper berth and I the lower ; but his differs
from mine, in being some inches narrower and having an iron
" stay " or rod passing through it in such a manner that its
occupant must lie on his back with the rod passing upwards
between his legs.
A finer evening than this never was. A few fleecy clouds,
a glorious setting sun, a sky steeped in liquid hues, a cool
breeze of most refreshing air, and Fujiyama rising in all its
grandeur above the horizontal belt of cloud which so generally
envelops its base, combine to give the waning day a charm
quite inexpressible.
The glory fades and darkness comes on apace, but the moon,
now two-thirds full, gives brightness to the deep azure of the clear
night sky : thus one glory succeeds another, the second being but
softer than the first. At 8.30 we are opposite a round undulating
island, on which is an active volcano ; but the " burning moun
tain," far from being awe-inspiring, is calculated to cast to the
winds all preconceived notions of a volcano in eruption. From
the centre of the highest portion of the island (which as we
see it is by no means conical), and also from a small fissure
in its side, issue a few flickering flames, such as might come from
bonfires. Somewhat higher in the air is a cloud constantly
changing its form, and which, fiery and glowing, hangs over the
mountain. As the flames rise and fall, are extinguished or
rekindled, so does the cloud brighten or darken. I see no lava
coursing its way down precipitous declivities, and no vomiting
forth of surging matter, nor is any noise audible. Nothing but
the changing and fitful glare, such as one of our own blast furnaces
produces, characterises this burning mountain ; in fact, the effect

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 65
is inferior to that produced by the blast furnaces of Lowmoor or
of many in the Cleveland district.
The next morning was as lovely as the evening which preceded
it. We ran near the land, and there Fujiyama, as immaculate
as ever, rose above the horizontal stratum of cloud which appears
to divide it in two. Below the cloud it has the colours of earth,
but above it is pure as heaven. The air is cool, the sea is
calm, and we go merrily on.
Mr. Saumarez introduces me to Mr. Samishima, a Japanese
gentleman who speaks English well, and who is certainly possessed
of great information, both respecting Japanese and European
matters. We talked long of the commerce of Japan, and of how
it can be extended to Europe ; and I am struck with the sound
ness of his views concerning the future of his country.
In the year 1878, while in Paris as a juror at the Inter
national Exhibition, I received an invitation from the Japanese
minister to dine with him at his residence in the Champs Elysees.
I was most graciously received, and the face seemed familiar, but
where I could have met my host I could not remember. When
dinner was half over I recollected that my host was Mr. Samishima
with whom I so long conversed while on my way from Yokohama
to Kobe. From this time up to his death we were friends.
The day wore on, but its glory was not dimmed, and the
Japanese coast near which we are running was as fine as some
of the good Swiss scenery. We have here, as in the Alps,
that strange effect which results only from an atmosphere
untainted by smoke and unsullied by the vapours of factories :
indeed, here we have rugged heights, deep ravines, hills piled
upon hills, mountains upon mountains, and valleys sunk in valleys,
with that play of light, shade, and shadow, which only such a
country under a bright sun and cloudless sky can give. We pass
no town during the day, but the hills are in some cases wooded
to the very sea.
By 6.30 the next morning I was on deck, and found that we
had anchored at 2 A.M. in Kobe harbour, which is three hundred
and sixty nautical miles from Yokohama. Cannon were firing,
F

66 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
rockets of various kinds were ploughing their way through the
air, and the ships and junks were gay with fluttering flags.
All this excitement is due to the fact that the royal yacht is
hourly expected, for the Mikado is coming to open the new rail
way connecting Kobe with Kioto. I watch these fireworks, which
are being discharged in rapid succession, with somewhat special
interest, as I take them to be the day fireworks of which we
have heard in Europe, and the smoke which they generate
certainly assumes strange and fantastic forms. To my dis
appointment I learn that these are not day fireworks, and
that the Japanese like letting off ordinary fireworks in sunshine.
If this is so, it is almost worth letting some off in sunshine, for
the circles of smoke formed by some, like the rings of phos-
phuretted hydrogen that we used to make when playing with
chemistry as boys, are very curious.
At the custom-house the officers searched the luggage of
Mr. Saumarez and Mr. Sakata, but passed mine. The practice of
searching baggage when brought from one port to another of the
same country seems strange, and is certainly attended with much
inconvenience to passengers.
A foreigner travelling in Japan must have a passport ; and if
the journey is to be anything more than a brief excursion to some
town not distant from a treaty port (where alone a foreigner can
reside) he must apply to the minister of the country to which he
belongs for the necessary permission. But the difficulty in the
way of a stranger visiting the country is this. In order to get
the passport he must not only name the provinces through which
he wishes to pass but the towns that he wishes to visit, and the
roads along which he intends to travel. He must also state the
purpose of his visit ; and when in the interior he can neither
make valid agreements with natives, nor purchase goods without
danger of their being confiscated. These restrictions render it
extremely difficult for the stranger to travel in Japan. There
is neither a Murray nor a Baedeker to tell him what to see, and
he can form no idea as to the roads along which he must travel ;
hence, if he is resolved on seeing the country he must be content

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 67
to wait at the treaty ports till he can gather from European
residents sufficient information to enable him to arrange a route :
after this the getting of the necessary permission is only a matter
of time. The restrictions respecting the validity of agreements and the
purchasing of goods are met by Europeans who travel in the
interior by taking with them a confidential Japanese servant
(called a bantd) who makes purchases and enters into contracts
on behalf of the European. Hence, these restrictions are
practically of little inconvenience ; yet as all restrictions limit
trade, the necessity of even a passport is to be regretted.
Sir Harry Parkes has kindly procured for me a passport
worded as broadly as possible, being unaware that the Japanese
Government have made every provision for my journey. The
ministers have, in fact, granted me permission to travel wherever
I please, and to see whatever I choose to inspect ; and to few, if
to any other than myself, has such a privilege been granted.
The Mikado's yacht now arrives; and we hear that in a short
time the Mikado, with his ministers, will proceed in state to the
railway station ; so we seek a place from which we can view
the procession. The roads are densely lined with people eager
to see his Majesty, and the central space is kept clear by lines
of soldiers placed some six feet apart. It seems strange that
wherever there is an upstairs window, or an elevated position, it
is unoccupied ; but I learn that no man in Japan may look down
upon the Mikado ; and when the Duke of Edinburgh visited
Japan, orders were given that this same respect should be
shown to him.
All is still, for the Mikado is approaching. The conduct of
the Japanese is in the highest degree respectful ; but immediately
in front of the procession, and only about fifty yards in advance,
I see walking in the most slouching manner two filthily dressed,
black-faced European workmen (I am afraid English) with torn
caps hanging half over their eyes, short pipes in their mouths,
and hands in their pockets. The sight is, I confess, both
irritating and disgusting. While such strange conduct might.

68 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
in a case like this, be accounted for by ignorance, another act
of disrespect which I witnessed cannot be thus excused. Beside
me stood an English missionary with the broad-brimmed felt hat
worn by many of our clergy. On the arrival of the Mikado, all
who had hats (for many of the male natives do not wear head
coverings) uncovered and lowered their heads. But this one
Christian gentleman availed himself of a step in order to make
himself conspicuous, and nodding his head defiantly, declared
audibly that he would not acknowledge the heathen sovereign.
I had always thought that royalty was entitled to respect wher
ever it was seen, and I can scarcely think that a Japanese
standing in our streets while royalty was passing, and loudly
averring that he would not uncover to a Christian infidel, would
get off without reproof, for even our street roughs, ill-behaved as
they are, would feel that such an insult to royalty should not
pass unnoticed, and even the cloth would have failed to protect
from mob law. Although not of combative disposition, I felt
almost irresistibly impelled to give that missionary a lesson in
manners such as he would not easily forget, and it was only my
respect for the feelings of my honourable friend from the Legation
that prevented my so doing ; but if looks could do anything in
the way of revealing my contempt for this individual who was
living on the charity of those who desired that he should teach
the doctrines of kindness and love, I must have smitten him to
the very quick, for a look of most sincere contempt must have
characterised my features when he thus publicly insulted a
sovereign of high gentlemanly feelings and the greatest refine
ment. If this is the manner in which our missionaries act (and
I confess that while in Japan I saw little to admire, but much to
condemn, in those with whom I came in contact), we cannot
wonder at illiterate men who may be stokers on board a vessel,
or ill-bred workmen, acting in defiance of right and order.
If it should be asked why such things are permitted, the
answer is that in the open ports of Japan foreigners have what is
termed an extra territorial right ; that is, the Japanese have
opened a certain number of ports called treaty ports in which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 69
foreigners may reside without being placed under the jurisdiction
of Japanese law. In other words, the foreigner while resident
here is subject to the courts of his own country ; thus in the eyes
of Japanese law he can do no wrong, and the judge by whom he
must be tried is his own consul.
The English complain bitterly that they cannot travel in
Japan without a passport, while the Japanese can travel through
any part of England without restriction. I cannot help thinking
that restrictions to travel injure the commerce of any country ;
yet when speaking to the Japanese ministers respecting the open
ing up of the country, they invariably said that with the class of
settlers which are now in the treaty ports, it is impossible for
them to allow travelling in the interior unless the Europeans give
up their claim to extra territorial rights, and this seems but
reasonable. If a Japanese comes to England he is free to travel
wherever he pleases, but he is at all times amenable to English
law ; and I am sure that no man who conducts himself rightly,
and has that regard for the feelings of others which all gentlemen
should have, need fear any molestation from the Japanese.
The procession having passed, Mr. Ishida went to the govern
ment house to report our arrival, Mr. Saumarez to the English
consulate to try and get a steam yacht for an excursion which we
wished to make the next day, while Mr. Sakata and I walked up
the mountains to see two waterfalls, the one called the Male Fall
and the other the Female.
Kobe is one of the treaty ports, and it occupies a strip of
ground lying between a range of rocky hills and the sea, the hills
and the sea-shore being parallel. It was intended that Hiogo
should be open to foreigners ; but as this town was not suited to
the purposes of foreign commerce, Europeans were allowed to
erect their town at the north side of a river which now separates
Hiogo from Kobe, Kobe being the new town, and Hiogo the old.
The same thing occurred at Yokohama, where a new town
has been built at the distance of about two miles from the port
originally opened up, the new town being Yokohama, the old
town Canagawa.

7o JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
From the hills which we ascended we had a charming view
of Kobe, of the bay, of the island of Awaji, and of the ocean
beyond ; and it was to the island which lay yonder before us that
we intended to make our excursion on the morrow.
In the evening Kobe is beautifully illuminated in honour
of the Mikado's visit. As the illuminations consist wholly of
coloured lanterns, which are here used with great lavishness, the
effect is very charming ; and the interest is heightened by the
myriads, as it appeares to me, of moving lights which are inter
mingling and bobbing, now being visible, and now eclipsed.
These are the lanterns carried by the sight-seers, for every one
in Japan carries a lantern after dark. The effect is also heightened
by the fact that it is a feast day at one of the great temples at
Kobe. Here we have blazing beacons, the burning of incense, the
sound of music, the throngs of worshippers, and much that is
calculated to add interest to the scene. The whole is a brilliant
manifestation of life, worship, and enjoyment, such as could,
probably, be seen in no other country.
The steam launch having been secured, we are astir at 6.15
A.M. It is just dawn, and the morning is fine. The island for
which we are bound is that of Awaji in the Hiogo Ken (province),
and we propose landing at the chief town, Sumoto, which, we are
told, we shall reach in three hours. It may be interesting to
know that before the revolution of 1868 Awaji belonged to the
Daimi6 of Owa, and that the ex-Daimio was educated at Oxford,
and now resides in London. On the island there are 30,000
houses, distributed in five towns and numerous villages, of which
3000 belong to Sumoto.
While cotton stuffs and cotton thread are made on the island,
and this small tract of land can boast a " fluted " variety of the
bamboo which is found in no other district, our chief purpose was
to see certain potteries, of which I shall speak more in detail
hereafter. It was 7.30 before we were fairly under way, and we had not
gone far when the sky became overcast and the clouds lowering,
yet we steamed on grandly. The scenery was very beautiful ;

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 71
indeed, as seen from the sea the island to which we were steering
looked almost Alpine in its grandeur.
At half-past ten we had not yet even reached the island, and
the town of Sumoto is situated almost at its other side. At
twelve we had luncheon (tiffin), so as to economise time, for we
were told that after we reached Sumoto we should have seven
English miles to traverse in jinrikishas before we could get to the
potteries. It was one o'clock when we reached Sumoto.
The landing of Columbus could not have produced a greater
effect upon the Americans than our landing in Sumoto did upon
these islanders. Adults and children, rich and poor, young and
old, flocked to see the strange creatures that had come to their
shores. They followed us as the street arabs follow a Punch and
Judy show in London. Even in Tokio a foreigner cannot make
a purchase without a score or more persons gathering around
him ; but here the whole town was astir with excitement.
Entering the post-office, we waited for jinrikishas ; and I
may here remark that in all Japanese towns where there is no
hotel, the post-office has to make such arrangements as it can for
the accommodation of visitors. We soon started on the inland
portion of our journey ; but the potteries, which we were told
were seven miles distant from Sumoto, proved to be fifteen. The
road, at first very good, lies along a valley where paddy fields
abound. The hillsides are wooded with camellias and dwarf
bamboos, but ferns are abundant in the shady spots, and here and
there we see a palm-tree.
At a tea-house about eight miles along the road the men
stopped for five minutes to rest, and tea was politely offered to us,
as is usual, by the mistress of the house. The road became more
difficult as we advanced. What was formerly a mere track is
now being made into a good highway. Some of the new bridges
are in every sense excellent, and they are sufficiently broad for a
cart to cross them, while the old bridges were little, if any, broader
than a jinrikisha. We now leave the main road for a path
through the rice-fields, and as the path is raised above the muddy
fields, there is some excitement in the thought that if one wheel

72 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of the jinrikisha should slip over the edge of the narrow bank
the occupant would find himself in the sludge below. Nor are
matters rendered pleasanter by the fact that the bank is cut by
frequent streams spanned by two planks or two narrow stones.
While crossing one of these primitive bridges one wheel of my
carriage slipped from the plank on which it rested, but owing
to the promptness of one of my men I was saved a ducking in
slush. Hence some of the party, who fear that they may be
less fortunate than I was, are lifted over these bridges, carriage
and all.
An accident now happened which might have been serious,
but turned out only laughable. The man in the shafts let go his
hold, and my weight being behind the wheels, the jinrikisha was
overbalanced backwards. In a moment my head was on the
ground. But the vehicle was soon righted, and we went on our
way. After many windings we reach the village of Igano, where
are two potteries, one of which was founded by Kashiu Mimpe,
about fifty years since, for imitating the Dutch ware of Delft.
The present potteries belong, one to the son of the founder, whose
real name is Mimpe\ but who has assumed the trade name of
Rikita, instead of the second Mimpe' ; the other belongs to Sanpe.
the nephew of the first Awadji potter.
During our inspection of the potteries heavy rain begins to
fall, and it is now six o'clock P.M. We make a hearty meal on
boiled eggs. I should have been glad, I confess, to have a little salt
and a slice or two of bread-and-butter in addition ; but bread is
unknown in Japan, save at the open ports and at one or two of
the large towns which have become partly Europeanised ; and
those who think that rice is the common food of the people
know little of Japan, for to the poor, as I have already said, rice
is an almost unknown luxury.
When we re-entered our jinrikishas, the hoods, which open
and close like the hoods of our Victorias, were spread, and over
our laps a sheet of oiled paper was placed as an apron. It must
not be supposed that the Japanese oiled paper bears any close
resemblance to a sheet of English paper which has been greased.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 73
for it has pliability, toughness, and a fibrous character, while the
oil which has been applied to it renders it waterproof without
making it greasy. The hood of the carriage was too low for my
European proportions, and I had to sit in a cramped posture.
This, with the cutting wind and the driving rain, rendered the
journey back to Sumoto anything but pleasant. Occasionally,
also, during our homeward ride we had to cross the beds of large
mountain streams which, containing but little water, are rich in
boulder stones. These river-beds usually lie at a level consider
ably below that of the country which they traverse ; and, although
impassable during the rainy season, are readily crossed at other
times by the aid of stepping-stones. The sensation produced by
the crossing of one of these streams is remarkable, especially when
this takes place in the darkness of the night. Descending the
defile, the jinrikisha acquires an impetus increasing each moment.
Hence the men who draw it are rather servants of the vehicle
than its guides and masters. The boulder stones also cause an
unpleasant jolting, and further difficulties are presented by the
stony bottom and the upward ascent.
With the view of turning to good use the speed gained during
the descent, the man in the shafts, who is now alone in charge of
the vehicle, lets the carriage rush down at an alarming pace,
aiming at the stepping-stones, across which he runs, while the
wheels of the vehicle are on either side of these stones trundling
across the bed of the stream, — and the occupant expecting every
moment to find the bottom of the carriage torn off by coming
in contact with a stepping-stone, or to have a ducking in the
water through the upsetting of the vehicle.
Our journey is, however, completed by 9.30 ; but as it is too
late to steam to Kobe, we take supper on the launch and return
to the post-office to sleep.
We are now shown to our rooms. However large a party
may be, one room is considered sufficient in Japan if it will but
contain enough beds on its floor ; but in this case Saumarez and
I are favoured with a room to ourselves, while the Japanese
occupy another apartment. Our beds are now prepared, that is,

74 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
are spread upon the floor, and each of these consists of what
we might term three wadded coverlets, each about six feet long,
three feet wide, and one inch thick. These are covered with a
blue-and-white figured cotton fabric. In consideration of the
wants of us foreigners, a fourth coverlet, rolled into the form of
a pillow, is produced. On a stand beside the bed was placed a
lamp, the feeble light of which proceeds from a small rush wick
hanging over the side of a saucer suspended in its centre. This,
with the beds, forms the whole furniture of the room.
It is now 10.30, but although a bed is before me I do not
exactly know what to do with it. Which is the bed and which is
the covering ? Am I to lie on the floor and have the three
coverlets over me ? Am I to lie on one and have two as covering?
Or am I to make of the three a soft bed and spend the night
uncovered ? After puzzling over my difficulty until I seem
threatened with abject despondency, I call for my friend Sakata,
who only partially removed it by telling me to do exactly as I
pleased. Hence I determine, as the night is cold and the air
damp, that one should be my bed and two my covering. But
when in bed a new trouble arises, for my bed and my bed-clothes
are each of the same narrow dimensions, hence it is impossible to
tuck in the coverings ; and owing to their want of pliability, I
only succeed in keeping the cold wind, which howls through our
room, from one side of my body at a time. Still, in spite of all
my difficulties, I slept soundly till dawn. On rising we were
somewhat stiff and sore, but this is due in part to our cramped
posture during our journey yesterday, and only in part to the
hardness of our beds.
The shutters being removed from the outside of the balcony,
we open the paper slides which form the front boundary-wall or
window surface (for it is both) of our room. Here is a lovely
little garden, over the end of which hangs a tree laden with
golden oranges. On the balcony stand two chairs, each bearing
a copper pan of about twelve inches in diameter and three inches
in depth, with water for us to wash in. Soap is unknown in
Japan. Pendent from the eaves of the roof hangs a little

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 75
trapeze-like contrivance, which is the towel horse ; but this is empty,
for travellers in Japan carry their own towels. A further supply
of water is at hand in a large wooden bucket which rests on a
huge boulder-stone and has a ladle lying across it.
During our ramble after breakfast we soon come upon a shop
which concerns itself only with the making and selling of Jos
houses. Some of these are very interesting, and they are all
marvellously cheap. Then we see a cabinet manufactory, where
such cabinets as the Japanese must use for the storing of their
clothes (although I never saw one in any house) are made. These
are so absurdly cheap that I purchased one, which I afterwards
sent to England. The cabinet cost thirty shillings, but the freight
home was seven pounds ; hence what was absurdly cheap where
I bought it was absurdly dear when it reached its destination.
Having made the circuit of the town, we returned to our boat.
The sun was bright and the sky clear, but there was a strong
cold breeze blowing. We were soon under way. After tiffin I
went on deck, and surely scenery never was more lovely than that
which I now beheld. There was that soft drawing of mountains
on the skies which I have never before seen out of Switzerland,
and the scene was in truth enchanting.
It must not be supposed that our steam launch is a model
vessel. A little paint would have improved its appearance ; and
although it has a deck with a cabin beneath it, a stoke-hole, and
engine-room, the deck has neither seats upon it nor rail around
it, and the cabin is reached by — well — any means you please,
for while there is a hole in the deck which, when you are in the
cabin, appears as a hole in its ceiling, there are no steps by
which either the descent or the ascent can be made ; therefore
getting from the deck to the cabin, or from the cabin to the deck,
involves the performance of acrobatic feats of no mean order.
The stoke-hole and engine-room are reached from the cabin
through an aperture about two feet by thirteen inches. Windows,
which should have consisted of twenty-four panes of glass ranged
in longitudinal series, form the sides of the cabin ; but of the
twelve panes at one side six are broken, five being entirely out.

76 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
This, although of little importance had the craft been nestling
on the bosom of a small inland lake or of some placid river,
might prove serious if caught by breakers from the broad Pacific,
and it is on the fringe of this ocean that we float.
Lounging on the deck of our little craft, I am lost in admira
tion of the lovely scenery as it is lit by the last rays of the setting
sun ; but while comparing our speed with that of a Japanese junk
which we overtake and pass, I am suddenly aroused from my
reverie by a sharp and curious noise, which is followed by clouds
of ashes and steam rising from the entrance of the cabin. Our
boat stops, for the boiler has burst in the fire-chamber, and has
put out the fire. We are now perfectly helpless, for we have no
sailing gear of any kind. Perceiving that the night is coming on,
and that without assistance we must speedily drift out into the
mighty ocean, my first impulse is to hail the junk, which I at once
proceed to do. Saumarez instinctively drops into the cabin to
ascertain the nature of our food supply, and finds to his sorrow but
a little tinned meat, half a pot of jam, and one or two biscuits.
So all come on deck, one having brought with him the table-cloth,
which is immediately held out as a signal of distress, while a very
chorus of shouts asks aid of the junk near by. The junk ap
proaches, it gets nearer, it is now only fifty yards off, but it passes
by. Our Japanese friends shout that we will give much money for
their help. This produces its effect. A rope is thrown, and we
are made fast to the junk and towed towards the shore, but only
at snail's pace, for the tide is against us. In a short time, how
ever, boats come from the land to our aid, and stepping into one
we leave the steamer in charge of our sailors, and row straight for
the lights of Kobe.
Our next excursion is to the Sanda pottery district, where
much Celadon ware is made ; a district which I have a special
desire to visit. Little is yet known of the Celadon wares of
Japan, and I am informed no European has yet visited the potteries
at which it is made. The Awadji potteries which we visited
two days since have only been visited by two Europeans — one
Englishman and one Frenchman, but these were in the employ of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 77
the Japanese Government, and, I understand, were not interested
in potter's wares.
January 31. — At 6.30 we are astir; at 7 we breakfast ; and
by 7.30 we have started in our jinrikishas for Shidewara in Sanda,
the centre of the district in which the Celadon ware is made. As
our journey, we are told, will take about four and a half hours
we calculate that we have an easy day's work before us, and that
night may be spent in our comfortable beds at Kobe. Three
men are engaged for each jinrikisha so as to economise time.
For several miles the road ascends and borders a rocky defile, in
the bottom of which flows a mountain stream. The highest point
being gained, the road becomes easier, winding through paddy
fields and amidst well-cultivated gardens. Our men gallop on,
but while to me the work of pulling us up the long incline stretch
ing from Kobe to the summit of the pass seemed killing, the men
are yet as jocular as schoolboys, and with occasional cheery shouts
run as though they could never tire. Still, instead of being at
Shidewara at twelve o'clock, we do not reach it till four.
I have brought with me to Japan a pedometer with the view
of roughly ascertaining the distance traversed in out-of-the-way
districts and on unknown tracks ; but, while the pedometer at best
is but an imperfect instrument, in this particular case it proved
utterly useless, for the long strides which these coolies took
during their wild and joyous gallops were most unfairly recorded
as so many ordinary steps, and how many of their giant strides
make a mile I have no idea. The coolie in the shafts carried the
instrument, which, at the end of the day, recorded twenty-three
miles as the distance run ; but I am persuaded that the long and
toilsome pull up the hill, at the commencement of the journey,
being considered, the speed did not average less than five miles
an hour. At Shidewara we learnt that here, and in villages near by,
there are five potteries, but that all are small, and this we find
to be the case. A master with his son, or with one or two
assistants, appears to be the entire staff of each pottery in the
district. In Shidewara itself there are two potteries, one of which

78 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
is exceedingly small ; but as neither make wares of any special
interest, we leave the town by a track or road, which leads to a
little plateau of moorland on the ridge of a high mountainous
hill. We have traversed about a mile and a half of ascending
road when we come to three small potteries near to each other,
and owned by various branches of one family. Here we rest for
a time and inspect the wares of the different manufacturers till
the shades of evening seem to hint that it is time for us to
return ; but we cannot go without spending a few minutes in
viewing the scenery around us, which is grand and lovely. On
the hills and in the dells we get shadows mingling with vapours
on the one side, and tips of roseate light on the other, while
across yonder valley rises a vast range of hills whose summits are
now of glowing pink as the last rays of the setting sun fall on
their snow-clad peaks.
Our coolies start on the return journey with an elasticity of
tread, induced by the bracing air and a descending road, which
soon brings us to Shidewara, where we find Mr. Ishida (who had
stayed behind somewhere on the way), and, to our surprise, the
Government official who had accompanied us to Awadji seated in
a tea-house. Where the Government official can have sprung
from we cannot imagine, for this is his first appearance amongst
us to-day. Ishida informs us that he has secured us rooms, and
that we must stay the night here ; but Saumarez and I insist on
returning, as we are in no way prepared for a two-days' journey,
and have not even a tooth-brush with us. To his pleading that
the dangers of the way are considerable, owing to the bad roads
and worse bridges, we turn a deaf ear ; but when we are told that
the chief seat of the basket manufacture is near, that the village in
which this industry is carried on is very beautiful, arid that by
staying the night we can thus see another industry and a
beautiful town, we consent to remain and to get through the night
as best we can.
In front of every Japanese hotel, and running along the
greater portion of its length, there is a sort of seat which, although
little more than a continuation of the floor beyond the sliding

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 79
partitions, constitutes the windows. This is the travellers' resting-
place, and here we have our dinner ; but to our sorrow most of
the sandwiches which we brought with us have disappeared, and
what remains in the way of provisions is chiefly a pot of jam. It
was a happy thought of Saumarez putting that jam in the basket,
for in most places rice can be got for money ; and although poor
rice boiled in water scarcely forms of itself a satisfactory meal, jam
gives it a relish and makes it, at least, palatable. Very often,
since the time of which I now write, have I made my meal of
only jam and rice, and I soon came to the solemn conclusion that
a monument ought to be erected to Saumarez for first introducing
the practice of carrying English jam when on an inland journey
in Japan. The wayside hostelry or rural inn of Japan is an interesting
place, — its scrupulously clean rooms separated only by sliding
paper partitions, its raised dais, on which the Mikado would sit
should he ever select this apartment as his resting-place, the side-
opening in the partition which rails off this domestic throne,
through which his food would be passed, the balcony outside the
room with the garden beyond, and the bath, which is supplied
for the refreshment of the traveller, give to it a character which
cannot fail to please.
While the bath is enclosed in a separate room, which generally
lies within sight of the central courtyard or garden, it is not
deemed necessary that the process of unrobing may be conducted
within its damp precincts ; and here, where all the rooms of the
hotel look upon the one enclosure, and where the front window-
slides are removed from all the rooms, I observe two of the
newly-arrived occupants of opposite rooms undress, and wearing
literally nothing but a smile, walk along the balconies in front of
the public rooms in the most unconcerned manner possible ; and,
neither noticing, nor being noticed, save by the rude foreigner,
proceed towards the bath-room, which the one enters while the
other remains on the balcony awaiting his turn. There is cer
tainly a charming simplicity about the Japanese, who, in whatever
condition he may be, has never yet discovered that under any

80 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
circumstances he is naked. I have seen at many hotels what to
me were indeed strange sights ; but I never saw a lustful look,
a lewd act, nor any manifestation of ill-advised emotion, incon
ceivable as this may seem to the European mind.
After our meal, which consisted chiefly of rice and jam, we
ask for a little brandy or wine, as we thereby hope to encourage
digestion ; but nothing of the kind is known or has ever been
heard of in this happy and innocent town. Being ready for bed,
we clap our hands, for this is the manner in which the servant is
called in Japan. Our beds are soon ready : there are three cover
lets for Saumarez and three for me, and to each is allotted a bag
of rice husks for a pillow.
We are scarcely in bed when a girl enters our room to take
a pillow out of a cupboard. In these strange houses where three
walls of most rooms consist of movable slides, any of which can
readily be pushed aside, one is always being surprised by the
entrance of a servant in some unexpected corner, for there is
nothing in a Japanese room that represents a door or fixed place
of entrance,— people enter at the point most convenient to
themselves. At seven in the morning we rise, and on pushing aside the
window-slides in front of us, we perceive that a small tub has
been placed on the open balcony in front of our room, while
beside this stands a large vessel of water covered with ice, and that
a towel hangs from the pendent towel-horse, for Mr. Sakata has
explained that we were unprepared for spending the night from
home. Hot water is, however, brought us in a little " piggin,"
and this added to the cold serves at least to melt the ice. We
shiver and wash, and dry ourselves as well as we can, for a
Japanese towel, it should be remembered, is only a piece of thin
blue-and-white cotton cloth, of three feet in length and ten inches
in width, and while it is often adorned with an interesting
pattern, it appears to the European but imperfectly to serve the
purpose for which it is intended. Our beds are cleared away,
and on two little trays about twelve inches square and supported
on legs three inches in height, is borne our breakfast, which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 81
consists of tea, boiled eggs, and rice — the rice being brought
in a large covered wooden vessel which stands in the centre
of the room. The tea is in a teapot supported by a small
iron frame over a hibachi (fire-holder) resting on the floor. The
eggs are in saucers, one of which occupies a corner of each of
our trays, and with the exception of an empty bowl, a diminu
tive cup, and a pair of new chop-sticks which fill three other
corners of our trays, they constitute the entire settings of our
breakfast-table. A serving girl, who brings with her a small tray, now kneels
behind the rice-box, and holds out first to one and then to the
other her tray in order that we may place on it our rice bowls,
one at a time. Putting into the bowl a portion of rice by the aid
of a flat wooden spoon, she hands it to its owner, her duty being
solely to serve the rice and to bring anything that a guest may
choose to ask for. We have some little difficulty in eating our
breakfast, for as there are neither egg-cups nor egg-spoons, we
have to adopt a method of peeling and sucking and sucking and
peeling, which would scarcely seem elegant if practised at a
European breakfast-table ; and worse than all we can get no salt.
At eight o'clock we are on our road for Arima, the seat of the
basket-manufactures, and a lovely road we travel. In two hours
we are there, for the morning, which is fine and clear, is still cold
and frosty, hence our coolies run well. Arima is a most charming
little Swiss-like village, beautifully situated on the side of a valley
where a mountain torrent dances between moss-grown stones and
winds beneath the shade of rich overhanging foliage. The chief
street of the town consists almost wholly of basket-manufactories,
bathing establishments, and charming tea-houses, and here nearly
all the buildings are two storeys in height.
A more beautiful town than this I never saw, for the pictur
esqueness of its buildings and their delightful cleanliness would of
themselves render it most attractive ; but here we find lovely
scenery, lichen-covered crags, moss-grown stones, plumose ferns,
and withal, the rushing of impetuous waters. So beautiful
indeed is Arima, that I feel as if weeks could be spent here most
G

82 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
happily. After tiffin, which was prepared for us in an upstairs
room in the chief tea-house of the town, we walked through the
principal street and inspected the basket manufactories, the chief
industry of the town. Here we see baskets of many kinds and
shapes, baskets both large and small, baskets so dainty that the
highest lady in any land might give to them a place in her
boudoir, be it ever so carefully arranged. Indeed, such a collec
tion of beautiful baskets I never before met with. Japan is truly
the land of baskets, and while up to the time of my visit much
Arima work had found its way into the London market, it was
all of a common kind ; and it was not until I pointed out to
the Japanese that the better kinds would find a ready sale in
Europe that they were introduced into England.
We now discover that Arima is one of the most fashionable
watering-places of Japan, and that it possesses mineral springs
which have a great reputation for healing virtues. We look into
one of the bath-houses, which in some respects resembles those of
Lukerbad in Switzerland, and here ladies are enjoying themselves;
but they have dispensed with even the most simple apology for
a bathing costume. They are, however, in no way abashed by
our presence, and, to our astonishment step from the water to hear
particulars of the foreign visitors.
Much beautiful straw-work is offered for sale in Arima. It
is indeed so abundant that I thought it must be manufactured
here. But I find that it is all brought from Tagima, a town
about fifty miles distant and directly inland.
Time is now so far spent that we are obliged, though most
reluctantly, to take once more to our jinrikishas, and start on our
return journey. On the road Sakata stopped our little caravan
to explain that at the village which we are approaching much
paper of an inferior character is made from waste paper which
has been collected and reduced to pulp by little more than
wetting. Upon entering the village we stopped at the door of a
paper-mill ; but, on being told that there are two much larger
manufactories farther down the village, we went to one of these.
Our first feeling was of wonder. If this be one of the largest

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 83
mills what must the smaller mills be, for here there is but one
vat, and that no larger than an ordinary washing-tub, one hand
frame on which the paper is made, and this only seventeen inches
by twelve, while one woman and a boy constitute the entire staff
of the establishment.
The frame which the woman uses has a margin of wood,
while a layer of bamboo threads, about as thick as the shank of
an ordinary pin covered by a sheet of hard silk forms its centre.
She was sitting in front of the vat, which was in shape a parallel
ogram, and in size three feet six by two, and about eighteen
inches deep ; in this vat was the pulp. She had the " frame " in
her hand, and by her side rested a pile of the wet paper which
had just been formed ; but here the sheets were not separated the
one from the other by layers of flannel or any other substance.
Having stirred the contents of the vat, she simply dipped her
frame into the pulp and collected as much as she wanted, and by
a dexterous movement caused it to flow evenly over the silk surface
of the frame. Allowing it to rest for a few minutes to give time for
the water to drain off, she added this newly-formed sheet to the wet
pile by inverting the frame, and thus went on making sheet after
sheet. On the top of the pile of wet sheets of paper a board is
placed, and upon this a few large stones, thus a quantity of water
is squeezed out from the newly-formed sheets ; and the fact that
these sheets do not adhere the one to the other must be explained
by the great length of the fibre of Japanese paper, and by the
small amount of size used in its manufacture. The size employed
at this paper manufactory is obtained from a small conical root
of which I do not know the name, the glutinous matter being
extracted by soaking it for a long time in water and then
crushing it.
A sufficient quantity of water having been pressed from the
paper, the boy brings a plank of wood of about six feet in length
and thirteen or fourteen inches in width, and then removes the
boulder stones and the board from the newly-formed paper, then
separating from the heap the uppermost sheet, and placing this
on the plank, he presses it down so that it adheres by its own

84 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
moisture to the board on which it is placed, and so with a second
and a third sheet. This done, he takes the board to the open air
and leans it in a slanting direction against the side of the house.
The same operation is continued with other sheets and other
planks till the whole pile is disposed of in this primitive manner.
In one instance I observed that an economy of space was secured
by six sheets of paper being stuck to the one board — three on
each side ; but this board was outside one of the small factories of
the village, which probably was not so rich in boards. The paper
being dry, it is simply peeled from the boards and arranged in
bundles for the market.
We now go on our way, and our men run well. At Kobe
after a twenty-five miles' gallop they scamper like wild Arabs
through the town, and appear as fresh as if they were beginning
instead of ending their hard day's work.
Our next journey, one of the most interesting during the
whole of my travels in Japan, was to the ancient city of Nara,
where Mr. Okubo invited me to inspect the rare collection of
antiquities which have been the private property of the reigning
Mikado from very remote ages. The time at which it was formed
is unknown, but the collection probably consists of presents given
to the early emperors by the envoys of foreign potentates, and of
the spoils of war. Whatever its origin may be this is certain,
that an inventory of the main body of the collection was made
more than a thousand years since, and that this inventory still
exists with the objects therein catalogued.
We are astir early, for we have our packing to do as we are
now saying adieu for the time to Kobe. At ten o'clock we leave
by train for Osaka — an hour's run by rail on the way to Kioto;
from Osaka we start in jinrikishas for Nara, which is distant about
thirty-three and a half English miles. With but one stoppage of
half an hour on the road our men end the journey better than
they began it. To me it is perfectly astounding how the coolies
go through the toil which they do, and that without apparently
suffering fatigue. Fancy a heavy man (for my weight was then
about thirteen stones), wrapped in thick coats and a fur rug, seated

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 85
in a carriage with a large heavy dressing-bag at his feet, being
dragged by the same men for thirty-three and a half miles at the
rate of between five and six miles an hour, with only stopping
thirty minutes on the journey. The exertion necessary for the
fulfilment of this task seems almost superhuman ; yet these feats
of endurance I shall often have to record during my inland journey.
As though our poor coolies had not dragged us far enough
already, we were told at Nara that the hotel was half a mile on
the other side of the town. Having reached and inspected it,
Sakata said that it was not a good hotel, and that we must go
back to another in the town : but my suspicion is that the pro
prietor has an aversion to foreigners, for in some of the out-of-the
way districts where a foreigner has never or rarely been seen the
Japanese seem afraid of him, and Sakata tells me that he was
himself brought up to believe that if ever a foreigner caught a
Japanese alone he killed and ate him ; and when he was nine
years of age he had the firmest conviction that the belief was
literally borne out by fact.
While the hotel for which we have to make is a good mile
distant, the coolies start as cheerfully as if they were just fresh
from a long rest, and with shouts and laughter bolt off at a most
astonishing speed. No people that I know of are as happy as
the Japanese. A Japanese is said never to be angry, and I
must say that although we were often in most trying positions I
never once saw Ishida out of temper, and I never but once saw
Sakata in the smallest degree angry, while I was frequently almost
boiling with rage. The Japanese are said never to scold, and
never to punish their children, yet I never in my life before saw
such happy, well-behaved children, — so cheerful, so merry. I never
heard a child cry save when actually in bodily pain. Is it because
the Japanese are almost exclusively a herbivorous race while we
are largely carnivorous ?
By six o'clock, having run thirty-four and a half miles in six
and a half hours, we are housed in our hotel, a grandly quaint /
building of true Japanese character, with the kitchen open to the /
street, and a courtyard with a gallery all round. We dine in true/

86 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Japanese fashion on the floor, and my writing has to be done in
a recumbent position, for we have neither chairs nor table.
Nara is one of the oldest and most interesting cities of the
country. Prior to the revolution of 1 868 Kioto (the word Kioto, as
I have already said, means southern capital, while the word Tokio
signifies northern capital) was for seven hundred years the capital
of Japan, and for some years previous to this the Mikado's resi
dence was at Nara, which was then the imperial city. It was
during the imperial residence in Nara that the rare collection of
antiquities was placed in the house where it still remains, and
to inspect this collection Mr. Okubo has kindly obtained for me
the Mikado's permission ; but many objects were old even when
brought together in Nara. The city also is full of antiquities of
the greatest interest.
Up to two years since these antiquities of the Mikado had
never been seen save by those immediately connected with the
emperor himself ; but then for a short time some of the treasures
were exposed, in what we might call the cloisters of one of the
great temples of the town, in glass cases protected from the
people by railings. This is the first time, I believe, on which
they have been shown to any foreigner, save when they were
open to public exhibition two years since, and it is certainly the
only occasion on which the foreigner has been allowed minutely
to inspect and to handle them. Hearing that they were to be
opened, Mr. Saumarez asked that he might see them at the same
time with me, and this permission was readily granted.
The following interesting extracts are from the Japan Weekly
Mail of June 12, 1875: —
" Nara was the residence ofthe Mikados from a.d. 708 until 782. Shortly
after this date the Imperial residence was fixed at Kioto, where it has since
remained down to our own times. Seven sovereigns reigned at Nara, of whom
four were females. Their rule, with some slight interruptions, was a prosperous
and glorious one, distinguished by the cultivation of the arts, literature, and
religion. In the reign ofthe empress Gemmio Tenno (a.d. 708 to 715) copper
was first found in Japan. In 718, under the succeeding empress, a collection
of laws in ten volumes was made, and shortly after a history of Japan in fifty
volumes was composed. The Mikado, Shomu Tenno (A.D. 724 to 748), had

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 87
relations with China, and in his eighth year two Buddhist priests arrived, one
from Southern India, the other from Siam. About the fifteenth year of his
reign a colossal Buddha of copper, overlaid with gold, was erected at Sitaraki,
in the province of Omi, by the exertions of a priest named Kioghi, who went
over the whole kingdom to collect funds for the purpose. In the year 745
this statue was transported to Nara, and is the famous Dai-butz which exists
there to this day. It is fifty-three feet high, being three feet higher than the
better known Dai-butz at Kamakura. It was cast in a number of pieces, and
it will thus be readily understood how such a colossus could be transported
from Sitaraki to Nara. Little of the gilding anywhere is now visible. The
head also of the statue is of more modern date than the rest. The temple
having been burned in the sixteenth century, the head was so injured that it
required to be replaced ; the present face is much coarser and sterner than
that of the Kamakura Dai-butz, and is probably not an exact reproduction of
the original. The religion of Buddha was making great progress in Japan at
this time. In 746 died a priest named Gen-bo, who had brought from China
five thousand volumes of Buddhist books, and many images. In 749 an
imperial edict was issued forbidding the slaughter of any animals in Japan.
Poetry was also much cultivated, and some compositions of this class are still
extant. "The last sovereign of the seven, Kwonin Tenno, died in 782, and his
successor determined to remove the seat of Government to another place. It
was some time before a locality was permanently fixed upon, and the transfer
to Kioto did not take place till 794. Previously to the Court quitting Nara
an immense wooden magazine had been erected there, in which the imperial
furniture and property of all kinds was disposed.
" This building exists to this day in complete integrity. It is made of
massive timbers laid horizontally, being raised from the ground on pillars of
solid trunks of trees eight or ten feet high. It is said to have been examined
every sixty-first year since its building, that is, at the beginning of each cycle,
and repaired when necessary. What is more astonishing is that the objects
deposited there by the Mikados have been kept in perfect safety from the
eighth century down to the present time, having escaped the danger of fire,
robbery, and turbulent times, those destroying agencies which in no other part
of the world, probably, have ever allowed any building of importance, much
less a wooden one, to remain intact for so long a period. Some fresh objects
have in the course of centuries been added to the original collection, but those
which belong to the first deposit are all named in an inventory made in the
eighth century which was deposited with them, and they can thus be identified
and distinguished from recent additions.
" This being the age of exhibitions and popular instruction, it came into
the head of some antiquary that it was time to bring to light the long hidden
treasures of the Nara repository. Hence the Nara exhibition, which has been
visited by many foreigners during the present summer, although we suspect

88 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
that very few have had any idea of the extraordinary character of the objects
exposed to their view. We have, it is true, in Europe marvellous collections
of the antiquities of all ages, which have been brought together piecemeal.
The genuineness and exact date of some of these objects can be ascertained,
but how many of them are damaged and mutilated from the vicissitudes they
have undergone, and of how many is the history and origin more or less open
to question ? What would the antiquarians of Europe say if an ancient building
containing the household furniture and effects of Charlemagne, with a catalogue
of the same made under that monarch's immediate direction,1 were now to be
opened for the first time, and the contents announced to be on view, all in fine
preservation ! But of such a kind is the exhibition now offered to the eyes of
Japanese antiquaries.
" The temple of Dai-butz affords a convenient locale for the display of these
curiosities. The objects brought from the royal magazine are arrayed in the
area immediately round the great statue, on each side and behind it. In the
outer galleries or cloisters which form the exterior of the temple is a still more
extensive collection of antiquities, contributed by various temples or by private
possessors. To some of these objects a still higher antiquity is attributed than
that of the contents of the Nara magazine, and the very remarkable character
of several which we have inspected induces us to think that this belief is well
founded, although we do not know exactly what external evidence of their age
exists. " Amongst the curiosities belonging to the Nara Mikados of the eighth
century may be mentioned screens, pictures, books, sculptures, masks, of
which there is a very large collection, pottery, and glass, copper bowls and
dishes, spoons, soap (!) in large round cakes the size of quoits, tortoise-shell back
scratchers, beads and ornaments, bells, weapons and utensils of various kinds,
dresses, hats, and nondescript articles. Probably the larger part of these things
are of foreign origin, and principally Chinese. The eighth century was the
middle period of the great Tang dynasty (a.d. 620-907) and the books and
pictures here collected are a rich field for the study of Chinese art and
literature during that time. Some poetry which we saw struck us as more
likely to be Indian or Persian than Chinese. A jug or ewer of white glass,
about a foot high, excited some incredulity as an object of the eighth century.
We were told by one informant that it was not to be found in the original
inventory, while another antiquary, who is engaged in studying the collection,
assured us that it is there. A specimen of Chinese writing paper was remark
able for the freshness of its appearance — smooth and unstained, it might have
been just produced from the mill. The miscellaneous collection in the outer
cloisters embraces objects of various ages, from some alleged to be one

1 Charlemagne is said to have been so particular that he had an exact register furnished
him of the number of eggs which the hens laid upon his property.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 89
thousand five hundred years old, down to those of the time of Taiko-sama.
The most antique of these curiosities are certain bronzes which have an Indian
character, and some statuettes of clay (?) which remind one of Greek work
more than anything else. Some wooden statues, of nondescript physiognomy
may perhaps be Corean. We saw one picture ascribed to a celebrated Corean
artist, of remarkable merit. The best pictures, on the whole, are those
attributed to Chinese artists, or copies from such. The Japanese are great
lovers of autographs, and there were many specimens of this class of relic —
notably writings by Yoritoma, Taikosama, and Iyeyasu. It would be impos
sible from two days' cursory inspection of the Nara exhibition to give more
than the faintest idea of the value and curiosity of its contents. It is evident
that here are the materials for the study of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese
antiquities, such as are not likely to be congregated anywhere else, and it is
satisfactory to know that Japanese antiquaries of high attainments are engaged
in cataloguing and describing the collection.
We have been reading and preparing ourselves for the sights
of the morrow ; and it may be worth while to mention that while
gold was first found in Japan in the year 749, the great Dai-butz
of Nara, which was made in the fifteenth year of the reign of
Shomu Tenno, or in the year 739, was covered with this precious
metal, hence the gold employed in this vast work had been
entirely brought from foreign countries.
Saturday the 3d of February 1877 will always remain a
great day in my history. We are up at seven, and after breakfast
start with one of the Museum officials from Tokio, who has been
sent to conduct us to the treasury and the sights of the town.
First, we see a temple consisting of several buildings ; but
here, as everywhere else in Japan, much has been destroyed by
fire. Originally the garan or complete temple (or, as we should
say, group of temples) consisted of a number of buildings, one
of which was the main temple or kon-do, one a pagoda or t5,
one the eating-house or shioku-do, one the lecture -room or
saidono, and one the bath-house or yuya. Some of these have
been destroyed by fire, while one, the southern round temple
or nanyen-do, has been rebuilt. From time to time, buildings
have been added, and if the whole were now standing, they
would consist of a pagoda or t5, a southern round temple or
nanyen-do, an eastern golden temple or tokin-do, a western

90 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
golden temple or saikin-do, a chief temple or kon-do, a lecture-
room or ko-do, a northern round temple or hokuyen-do, a bath
house or yuya, a building termed an anteroom or hosodono, and
a refreshment-house called shioku-do ; but of these all that
now remain are the pagoda, the eastern golden temple, the
northern round temple, and the southern round temple which
has been rebuilt, but the three old buildings which still remain
have been in existence about twelve hundred years.
Under each of the main temples of one of these groups of
sacred buildings it is customary to bury seven pieces of precious
material ; indeed, the Buddhist scriptures enjoin the performance
of this rite. The materials prescribed for this purpose are pearls,
gold, silver, agate, coral, amber, and a kind of shell called by
the Japanese shako, which appears to be that of the Squilla
mantis. In the new or southern round temple is a great Buddha
(not the great Buddha of which we read last night), but although
its proportions are colossal, it is not very visible, being enshrined
in a large and ill-lit building, where it is seen only through white
curtains partly drawn. In front of this colossal figure are many
sacred vessels, indeed, so many, that with the image and its sur
roundings the temple is filled almost to the door, and no one
is allowed to enter the building save the priest. The disappoint
ment to me caused by this arrangement was great.
The northern temple of this group contains another Buddha
and a number of other idols, besides an immense pile of blocks
used for printing the Buddhist scriptures, but this Dai-butz is
comparatively small. The blocks used for printing the scriptures
are about twenty inches long, nine inches broad, and an inch
and a half in thickness. The grain of the wood runs through
out the length, and they are engraved on both sides, the engrav
ing, however, only extending within two inches of each end.
These blocks are engraved much like those with which we
print wall papers, that is, the portion which is to receive the ink
and produce the impression is left standing, while all the inter
vening wood is cut away to the depth of about one-eighth of an
inch. The unengraved end -portions of the block are reduced

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

9T

to the thickness of about three-quarters of an inch, and serve
only as handles.
It may be thought that in speaking of these printing-blocks,
I ought to have compared them with the blocks from which we
print our woodcut illustrations ; but the reader will better under
stand their nature by the parallel which I have drawn, for our
woodcuts are engraved upon wood with a vertical grain, whereas
the blocks of which I speak have a longitudinal grain. Our
woodcuts also are engraved with great fineness, and the sunk
parts are but little below the general surface of the block,
whereas both our wall paper blocks and the Japanese blocks
of which I speak are cut more deeply and in a more simple
manner. In this temple are also many small gods formed of wood ;
indeed, there are piles of such, they being
the remains of a thousand figures, which were
formerly arranged together in the manner /bf
the members of the chorus at one of our great
concerts ; and of the old arrangement of these
gods they show us a model. I am struck with
the simplicity of treatment which these figures
present, and with the crispness and beauty of
their folded drapery, indeed, the treatment of
the drapery reminds me by its simple excel
lence of the best sculptured works of our own
mediaeval times ; and between some of these
figures and those with which we are familiar
in our own cathedrals there is a striking re
semblance (Fig. 25). Seeing my interest in
these works, the priest presents me with two.
They are about eight inches in height, and while one is tolerably
perfect the other has in part crumbled away through the effects
of time. In the eastern golden temple there is another Buddha, and
many curious idols, some of life size, some larger, which evidently
represent peoples of various nations. The priest now tells us,

Fig. 25. Small God, ok
Statue, carved in
Wood.

92 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
that some of these idols were presents from China, others from
India, and that it is not uncommon in Japan to find presents
of this description in the great Buddhist temples.
This temple, like the last we were permitted to enter,
is much out of repair ; indeed, what is here stored is all falling
to decay. A number of coarse earthen vessels made about a
hundred years since, and resembling in form a modern tea-cup
of the country, with a particular form of stand on which the
cup is often served (only in this case, the cup and the stand
are larger than those of the present day and are united together),
are here, as well as one of those curious mace -like censers,
consisting of a bent stem of the Nelumbium (or Buddhist lotus)
such as I saw in Tokio (Fig. 19). This censer has a flower and
leaf at the end, the flower ascending and the leaf descending,
while in the centre of the stem there is a young and unexpanded
leaf. This object was made about a hundred years ago, and
while I have only seen it upon an altar, I am informed that
Buddha holds it in his left hand when he prays for his mother,
and that incense is sometimes burnt upon it.
Seeing my admiration for both the cups and this censer, the
priest presents one of the former and the latter to me, and I
have no compunctions of conscience about taking them, for all
is here perishing ; and soon, unless things greatly change, all
will be ruin and desolation. Under the Sh6gunate rule these
monuments of antiquity were carefully preserved ; but the present
Government seem to consider it no part of their duty to guard
from destruction these ancient buildings and their contents.
We next visit the pagoda, which is a splendid structure of
remarkably fine proportions. There is a great difference between
the pagodas of Japan and of China. While the latter are nearly
always uninteresting and possessed of little beauty, those of the
former are invariably both graceful and beautiful. In China, how
ever, the pagodas are much more varied in form than in Japan.
Our priest-guide opens for us the door of the pagoda, and upon
entering, we find a few idols arranged on its basement floor.
By climbing, scrambling, and squeezing through spaces which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

9.\

are almost too small for me to pass, I reach the upper gallery,
from which we have a magnificent view of Nara and its sur
roundings. I am now informed that I am the first European
who has been permitted to ascend this pagoda, and that I am
the first to whom the eastern golden temple has ever been
opened. Time is passing, hence we cannot tarry longer at these
temples ; but we must not leave without inspecting an old

Fig. 26. — Lions of Corean workmanship, guarding the gateway of the great
Temple of^ Todaiji in Kioto. It is impossible to view these without the thought
of the lion and the unicorn being awakened in the mind.
coniferous tree in the grounds, the branches of which spread
horizontally with great grandeur. The Japanese are particularly
fond of old trees, especially of the species of fir and other
cone-bearing plants ; propping up their branches with great care
and securing them so that neither storm nor tempest shall lop
them off. From tip to tip the horizontal branches of the tree
before us measure one hundred and forty-eight feet. We now
give a subscription to the temple, bid adieu to the priest, and
leave. Walking nearly a quarter of a mile we arrive at the temple
of the Great Buddha (Dai-butz), the largest in Japan. This
is the temple of Todaiji, built eleven hundred and thirty- one
years since. At the gateway stand two stone lions (Fig. 26)

94 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
supposed to be of Corean workmanship. In the porch, at the first
gateway, are two colossal standing gods or niwo = kings, one
with a club of a form common in Fijian weapons, and whose
name is mitsshaku kongo ; the other bearing a brazen mace, such
as a Buddhist priest holds in his hand while praying, and named
narayen kongo. This porch, in which these deities have for so
many years stood, is of vast proportions, its chief wooden uprights
(or pillars) being one hundred feet in height by twelve feet in
circumference. Having passed this colossal gateway we go
through a second of similar proportions, then across the courtyard
to the temple itself, wherein the great Buddha is enshrined. This
Buddha, fifty-three feet in height, almost fills the enormous temple,
for it has a nimbus eighty -seven feet in diameter, on which rest
sixteen images, each eight feet high. Its face is sixteen feet long
by nine feet six inches broad ; its shoulders are twenty-eight feet
seven and a half inches broad, while nine hundred and sixty-six
curls adorn its head.
The temple in which this great figure rests (in sitting
posture) has been twice destroyed by fire. During the last
fire the head of the figure was much injured and loosened, and
shortly afterwards it was thrown down by an earthquake, when
a new head was cast. The head of this figure I do not like
nearly so well as that of the Great Dai-butz at Kamakura ;
and indeed it is much inferior to that of the other parts of the
figure. The new head was cast in the sixteenth century. »
Our visit to this temple is necessarily short, while there is
enough met with here to interest any student of the past, whether
he be artist or antiquarian, for days if not weeks ; but as we are
keeping Mr. Machida (who is to show us the great collection
of antiquities) waiting, we must hurry on. Having reached our
destination and renewed our acquaintance with him, we begin our
inspection of the collection of ancient objects in Nara, and find
the first part in corridors surrounding this temple of the great
Buddha. The objects here displayed are arrayed chiefly in plain
pine-wood glass-fronted cases, so fastened that any tampering with
the contents may easily be detected, for, instead of being furnished

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 9S
with locks which, as made in Japan, may be easily picked, they
are simply fastened by twisted strips of tough paper strung
through two clasps and knotted together, while a red stamp is
impressed upon the folds of the knot. The stamp used for this
purpose somewhat resembles our old-fashioned seals, only it is
formed of wood, and the part which is to yield the impression is
raised and not sunk. This seal is charged with a kind of red
paint, and then pressed upon the knot of the soft paper-string.
It is obvious that a contrivance of this kind will do nothing
in the way of keeping out a thief; but it cannot fail to show
whether the case has been tampered with or not, for if the knot
has once been untied it would be quite impossible by any amount
of adjustment to bring all the parts of the impressed seal again
together in proper relation to one another.
Through the kindness of Mr. Machida these seals are broken
whenever I wish to investigate any object, and I feel it to be
indeed a privilege to handle and examine these rarest of antiqui
ties. Here are sword blades one thousand three hundred years
old, which are made of copper, but these belonged to the gods
(idols), and came from a temple called Horiu-zi (zi means church).
There is a large iron shield about six feet in height, in every
way well wrought ; but its age is unknown. On a saddle,
known to be about one thousand years old, is a conventional
Persian -like peacock, wrought in repousse1 brass, which is very
good. A Chinese vase, which has been here preserved for over a
thousand years, and has a black ground, with a spray of bamboo
and certain rocks wrought upon it in gray, is interesting. There
are wood carvings of lions executed with great spirit and " feeling,"
but the ages of which are unknown ; two sceptres, the one being
one thousand three hundred years old, while the other is one
thousand years of age. There is a thin iron bowl most beautifully
shaped, the bottom of which has been patched ; this is a thousand
years old ; such vessels were formerly carried through the streets
by priests, who held them out for the purpose of receiving offer
ings of rice.
One piece of bronze-casting, which has been preserved in the

96 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Mikado's collection ever since the inventory was made a thousand
years since, is as perfect a work, of its kind, as any that I have
ever seen. It is the frame of a sacred gong, and consists of
two dragons entwined together and standing on the back of a
griffin. In another work a lotus flower cast in bronze springs
from an ornament consisting of flames superposed on water — the
water and the heat producing vegetation reaching up to the
spirit or god (Buddha) that sits on the flower. The age of this
work is unknown. Another lotus of great
age, in which the petals are all tipped with
a crystal drop (Fig. 27), and a small clay
figure with the hair so arranged as to resemble
exactly what we know as the jester's cap with
ass's ears, occur in the collection. Of things
which have been added in later years there
FrNel7umblTF°Lo™: is a tunic> evidently of Chinese workmanship,
served in the imperial trea- wjtj1 a richly-embroidered collarette in gold
sury, with crystal drop in
metal socket hanging from and colours ; long shoe-like stirrups on which
its apex. Each of the outer
petals of the flower had the foot would rest, and which superseded,
about five hundred years since, the earlier
form of stirrup where the front part of the foot was incased in a
truncated cone. There are one or two simple pieces of furniture,
being chairs and a small cabinet, six hundred years old, both used
on ceremonial occasions, and several pieces of armour which be
longed to that warrior to whose memory a temple was built at
Kobe (Hiojo), and in front of which I saw the beacon fires during
the time of the illuminations a few days since.
There was also an entire row of Chinese Celadon vases (each
of about twenty-two inches in height), some having the sea-green
glaze on white, and others on red, earth. Certain of these bear
bands of Chinese ornament or sprays of foliage wrought upon
them, while the ornament on others is obviously Indian in character.
But the most curious object in the collection is perhaps a lamp of
singular formation (Fig. 28). Here the oil is stored in the body of
a rat which sits upon the top of a pole. Half way down the pole
and resting on a projecting bracket is a saucer, in the centre of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

97

which is a pin that connects it with the bracket on which it rests :
in this saucer, and leaning over its side, is a wick. When the
saucer is filled with oil and the wick is lit
we have a lamp which exhibits no peculiar
qualities till most of the oil has been con
sumed. Then suddenly a stream, which
suffices to replenish the now nearly ex
hausted saucer, issues from the mouth of the
rat. The saucer being full, no more oil is
discharged from the rat's mouth till it is
again nearly empty, when the kind creature
sitting " up aloft " yields a further supply,
and so on till its store of oil is exhausted.
The manner in which this is achieved is
simple, although the effect produced is
curious, for it is only an application of the
principle of the vent-peg or pipet whereby
fluid cannot run from a vessel unless air is
admitted to take its place. The peg which
rises in the centre of the saucer and at
taches it to the support on which it rests
terminates in a knob or cap ; but the peg
is hollow and is connected with the body of
the rat by a tube which runs along the bracket and then ascends
through the stand to the upper portion of the rat's body. The
pin which stands in the centre of the saucer, it should be noticed,
is perforated immediately below its cap, or about half an inch
above the bottom of the saucer. It is obvious, then, that when
the oil sinks to a point at which this hole is exposed air will enter
and thus allow the oil to run out of the rat's mouth ; but when
this hole is again covered by oil, no further air is admitted, and
therefore no more oil can run from the rat's mouth.
From this part of the collection we walked to a building
some two hundred yards distant, which contains a second and
much more interesting series of objects.
This portion is arranged in a kind of entrance-hall and in one
H

Fig. 28.— Curious Lamp, pre
served in the Nara treasury.
The construction of the lamp is
indicated in the rat's body and
in the upper part of the stem
on which the rat rests, as well
as by the detail, a. The lamp
is about two feet in height.

98 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
large room, and Mr. Machida informs us that everything in the
room is known to be at least twelve hundred years old ; but all
the objects are not Japanese, nor is he able to say whence many
of them have come. Some, however, are obviously Chinese, and
some Indian, while several, which are half Chinese and half
Indian in character, are perhaps from Tibet, Yarkand, or other
inland country lying near to India and China.
In this room we have a magnificent collection of art objects,
which have found their home in Japan for at least twelve hundred
years. But what interests me most perhaps is the woven fabrics,
for these, while of this great antiquity, are in perfect preserva
tion, and are thoroughly mediaeval and Italian in the style of
their patterns. Had I not known to the contrary, and had I
made but a cursory examination, I should have supposed that
certain specimens from the Bock collection in the South Ken
sington Museum had been lent for exhibition here, while others
were more Arabian in character.
One of the Arabian-looking fabrics reminded me strongly
of a plate in that magnificent work VArt Arabe, in which a
similar fabric is portrayed (see plate entitled Etoffe de tenture,
XII.e siecle). In the specimen here at Nara the pattern consists
of circles regularly distributed, both horizontally and vertically,
and separated from one another by a distance equal to about
half their diameter. These circles are fringed by a sort of Arabian
ornament, of such width that these fringings of the various circles
almost meet. In each circle are two conventional lions, face to
face, while in the spaces intervening between the circles are other
small animals. Red and dull yellow is not an uncommon com
bination of colour in these Arabian-looking fabrics here.
There are printed cotton fabrics of this period also, where
the figure is usually white, on some plain coloured ground ; —
the colour of the ground having, obviously, been removed by
a colour -discharging agent, while others appear to owe their
pattern to the figured portion of the fabric having been pro
tected from the action of the dye by what is technically termed
a " resist." Belonging to this remote age, there is also a very

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 99
fine piece of leather, about fifteen inches by two feet six inches
in size, of pleasant yellow-brown colour, and with a pattern con
sisting of white lines arranged in the form of well considered
scrollwork, and a cloisonne enamel dish, with the wires projecting
from the body about one -sixteenth of an inch. The enamel
in the cells is, however, concave, for the surface has never been
ground down. Of the same age are certain most excellent
metal mirrors, some being circular, and one being square ; but
some of these (probably all but one) are of Chinese manufacture.
The one that is certainly Japanese is circular, and about fifteen
inches in diameter, and the pattern on its back closely resembles
those which are now to be found on similar objects. One from
China has its back figured with a geometrical pattern of Celtic
character ; but the Japanese mirror has a case covered with a
silk fabric of mixed colours, — gray-white, yellow, blue, and dull
red ; all of which are outlined with black, and fall on a green
ground. The pattern of this fabric is in character between
Persian and that kind of flat ornament which is general as the
background of pre-Raphaelite pictures. There are some grand
pieces of Indian embroidery, in which the simplicity and purity
of the ornament is delightful. These certainly surpass in tender
ness of line, precision of form, and just distribution of the parts,
anything that I have before seen of the kind ; and they have
been in Japan for twelve hundred years.
There are vases of various kinds, some Greek in form, others
Arabian in character, some Chinese, and some Japanese. One
with black ground and bands of incised red lines might be a
work of the best Athenian age, were it not for certain nondescript
characters with which its surface is in part covered. There is a
glass ewer with a well-formed lip, and somewhat elaborate handle
of very pale blue-green colour, and rather rough texture (like some
of our pickle bottles), but the Japanese do not know whence it
came ; they only know that it has been in possession of their
emperors for one thousand two hundred years. To me it is
obviously an Arabian work, and the appearance of the glass
closely resembles that of the pendent enamelled lamps which

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

have during the last few years been brought from Egypt and
purchased for the various European museums (Fig. 29).
There is a metal jug of tall proportions and Persian shape,
having around its body a row of gilt animals with engraved
outline, a Japanese metal water-bottle with
low and curious spout covered by a lid ;
and I may here add that a spout rising to
the level of the orifice of a vessel seems
to be a late invention in Japan ; for it is
not observable, so far as I see, on any
native vessel in this collection.
There are leather bags, such as were
tied around the wrists of archers to prevent
the arrows cutting them, a double-headed
trident used in ancient times for the catch-
Fig. 29. — Rough Sketch ok a
olass ewer, preserved in the ing of madmen, a box covered with basket-
Mikado's treasury at Nara. It
is undoubtedly an early Arab- work and in part lacquered, a repousse' brass
tray of sixteen inches in diameter, with a
stag in high relief in its centre, two very wonderful basso-relievo
carvings in white marble, and as perfect and sharp as the day they
were cut. The subject of these is a snake, mythological animals,
and conventional clouds. These are undoubtedly Indian works,
and of great excellence. There are two plates (each fifteen inches
in diameter) of white biscuit-ware, with pattern consisting of goose
and flowers in yellow, and an earthen bowl, the top of which
is green and the sides striated, the stripes being due to the run
ning down of the marginal green glaze over the white ware of
which the bowl is formed. There is a coarse white fabric with
brown pattern printed upon it ; but I was specially interested
in a number of pieces of thick felt each four to five feet square,
which are well made and have most charming and simple patterns
of true Indian character wrought upon them by the entangling
of woollen yarns with the hairy surface of the fabric. Similar
fabrics are now made in Persia ; but the patterns of these old
works are simple and pure, while those now manufactured are
figured with ornaments indistinct and of complex character.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 101
As the process by which these felt cloths are made has never
been practised, so far as I know, in Japan, I may briefly describe
it as we here find specimens which, although twelve hundred years
old, are the best of the kind that I have ever seen.
On a floor is spread a quantity of short hair, generally that of
the camel, which is felted, or made into an unwoven cloth, by
being sprinkled with water to which a little acid has been added,
and then rolled with a stone roller or beaten with stones or clubs.
This beating or rolling, when continued for a sufficient time, achieves
the close intermingling of the hairs, or the felting of the fabric.
But before the felting is quite complete, coloured woollen yarns
but imperfectly spun are arranged loosely upon the surface of the
now nearly formed fabric, and by manipulation of the thumb and
finger (which is in part a twisting process) are so united with the
protruding hairs of the felt that, by the completion of the felting
process, a homogeneous fabric is formed with figured surface.
Leaving the large room, we now go to the hall, where the
exhibition consists wholly of fabrics, believed to be from five to
eight hundred years of age. There are here also many cloths
of old European and Persian types, but where they came from is
quite unknown.
I examined the collections as carefully as possible under
the circumstances, for Mr. Machida, who is in charge of them,
dared not leave us, and I was afraid of tiring him out. There
is no museum of antiquities in the world, so far as I know,
half so instructive to the European as this rare collection at Nara.
Where else could we see fabrics printed, embroidered, and felted,
and, although more than a thousand years old, almost as fresh
as on the day when they first left their makers' hands in India,
Persia, Central Asia, China, and Japan ? Where else could we see
these strange connecting links between the arts of Egypt, India,
China, and Japan, that we find here ? We are now taken to see the
massive structure which has sheltered and preserved this little world
of wealth for over a thousand years, and, strange to say, it is a mere
large oblong building formed of triangular logs of wood (Fig. 30).
These logs are arranged like those of a Russian timber house,

102 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
and after crossing at the corners protrude like the sides and ends
of an " Oxford picture-frame." The building thus formed stands
on a series of circular wooden columns of about five feet in height

Fig. 30. — The old Wooden Euilding in Nara in which the Mikado's treasures have been
preserved for twelve hundred years. The roof has been renewed from time to time, but
the other parts of the building remain as first erected. This is, probably, the oldest
wooden building in the world.
and two feet in diameter, and each one of these rests loosely
upon a stone ; the roof is of tiles, but that which now covers the
building is comparatively modern. The roof which was placed
upon the building when it was first erected was replaced by a
second, and this, in its turn, gave place to a third about five
hundred years back, and this was replaced by the present about
one hundred and fifty years since. Mr. Machida kindly gives me
a portion of a tile from each of the two latter roofs.
In looking at this ancient building one is perhaps most struck
with the fact that wood which has existed for a thousand or more
years, and has been exposed to an atmosphere at least as trying
as that of Great Britain, should have endured to the present time;
and, more surprising still, the wood is at this moment as sound as
it was when it was first placed here. In some cases it is much
worn by the action of the weather, indeed, I observed that where
a log was exposed it was three or four inches less in diameter
than where hidden, yet the wood was . not decayed ; but the
Japanese seem to have an almost imperishable wood. We boast
of our oak ; but what is oak when compared with wood that has

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 103
actually resisted the storm and the blast for over twelve centuries,
and is still as sound as it ever was.
Mr. Machida now orders the large and curious padlocks to be
taken from the doors ofthe storehouse. Upon passing the entrance
we find it divided into three compartments, all of which are filled
with large wooden chests ; and it is in these chests that the
Mikado's antiquities have been preserved for so many centuries.
To my astonishment I find that only one -third of the
Mikado's rare treasures at Nara have been unpacked. What this
vast number of great trunks may contain I cannot possibly say, but
in all probability there are here objects which would throw light on
many subjects now imperfectly understood, and would do much
towards perfecting a history now unknown to the world.
We were about to bid our host adieu, when he begged us to
return to the building where we saw the oldest of the treasures.
as here there was a small object which he desires me to accept.
This he terms a pagoda, but in reality it is a turned piece of
wood, some six inches in height, with a base and discs protruding
horizontally one above the other. It is hollow, and the orifice
is closed by a pear-shaped wooden stopper, but the great interest
of this little object lies in its containing a specimen of the first
printing ever effected in Japan.
When the art of printing was introduced to the country the
first work performed was the reproducing of one passage of the
Buddhist scriptures. The copies of this passage were incased in
these little pagodas and deposited in a temple. It is said that a
million of them were placed here, but there is much difficulty with
numbers, owing to peculiarities in the language and difficulties of
translation. I was once shown a god which was said to be the god
of a thousand arms, but when I inspected it I found that it had
only sixteen of these appendages. However, it is certain that a
vast number of these little pagodas did at one time exist in the
temple at Nara, and I could believe anything respecting Japanese
patience and toil, but unfortunately they have nearly all disappeared;
and this most interesting gift is worm-eaten and decayed. Yet the
letters on the little enclosed roll of paper are readable to this day.

io4 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

CHAPTER IV.
The sacred dance — A feast night — Kioto — The royal collections — Osaka.
Having visited one or two other temples, we return to our
hotel and to a native dinner, after which we go by invitation
of Mr. Machida to see a religious ceremony consisting of music
and dancing — a ceremony the performance of which is purchased
at considerable expense — but our good host has had everything
prepared for us, and has sent some Government officials to accom
pany us to the temple.
It is the night of a sacred festival, and all Nara is astir. The
streets are also decorated, as the Mikado is expected to visit the
town within the next day or two. Bamboos stand at either side
of the streets at distances of about twelve feet apart, and these
are connected by festooned straw bands which hang at a height
of six feet from the ground. From these straw bands hang the
cut papers symbolising the Shinto religion. We now turn into
an avenue of gigantic cryptomeria trees, — the grandest avenue I
have ever seen — where are stalls rendered gay with lanterns, on
which are sold toys, sweet stuffs, and other trifles. Leaving this
by an avenue turning on the right, we behold a sight which I shall
never forget. Here is one of the most lovely of groves, formed of
colossal coniferous trees, with innumerable stone monumental
lanterns at either side. These lanterns vary in height from four
to ten feet, and nearly every one is lit (I afterwards learnt that
there are two thousand two hundred lanterns in this grove.)
Every now and again we come to little flights of rude steps,
for the avenue ascends the slope of a rounded hill. This rising

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 105
ground, the flocks of gaily dressed people who are going to
the temple to pray, and the strange aspect of this vast forest of
stone lanterns, produce a scene in the highest degree surprising.
At the top of this beautiful grove, amidst a vast crowd of
lanterns, rises the temple called Wakamiya. It is celebrated for
its thatched roof, the thatch being very thick and regular, and con
sisting of layers of the inner bark of a fir-tree. This roof is the
most perfect of its kind in Japan ; and near the temple is a shrine
containing a god, which is so sacred that even a priest may not
enter its abode. Facing this shrine, but at the opposite side of
the road, is what is called a " priest's house." In this the religious
service which we have come to see is to be performed.
This house is a long building with its side to the road.
The room that we enter is a parallelogram. Its windows, which
form the entire road-side of the room, are heavy frames filled
with coarse lattice-work, over which no paper is strained. These
frames, hinged at the top, open inwards, and when open are sup
ported in a horizontal position by hooks from the ceiling.
On this the evening of our visit the whole of these side
windows are open, hence whatever takes place within the room
is visible to those outside, and thousands congregate to see
the performance of a service in which they evidently all take
interest. At the distant end of the room, as we enter, four priests are
kneeling on the floor behind small deal tables or altars, and in
front of a large folding-screen, on which deer are painted. One
has a flute, another a small hourglass-shaped drum, another small
cymbals, and the fourth curiously shaped pieces of wood, which
are knocked together in the manner of our " bones."
Facing the street, and at the side of the room, are three
priestesses and five female children, while along the open side,
or facing the priestesses, are five small tables, like those in front
of the priests ; these tables bear the rattles, or sistrums, from the
handles of which streaming ribbons are pendent.
The priestesses wear red under dresses, and a robe of great
beauty, which is chiefly white ; but here and there is dispersed

io6

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

over its surface a little spray of the westeria creeper in green
with a touch of colour, — the green contrasting most pleasantly
with the red of the under skirt. Each spray occupies a space
of about four inches square, while six or eight inches of space

tJ

Fig. 31.— Eack view of Fig. 32.— Front view of
dress of priestess of of Nara.

dress of priestess of
Nara.

Fig. 33. — Hair of priestess

Nara.

intervene between the groups. When seen from the back, and
when the arms are held at right angles to the body, the dress
has much the form of the letter T (Fig. 31); but what we may
term the shank part does not surround the body, but merely
falls as a broad sort of streamer, which, were it sufficiently long
to rest on the ground, would form a train.
In front, the shank portion of the T is split down the centre,
and the two parts are crossed over the chest ; while, arranged
as a sort of habit-shirt, there are folds of red, white, and lilac
fabrics (Fig. 32). The whole dress is most charming, and the
colours employed in it are the Court colours ; for the wearers
are priestesses of a Shinto temple, and the Mikado is the head
of the Shinto Church.
The hair of the priestesses is long and, like that of all Japanese,
intensely black. It is not plaited or braided in any way, but
flows loosely down the back, only being bound together at the top
by a curious flat gold band (Fig. 33). In the front two little
tufts of red and white flowers which stick out at the ends of long
pins take the position of horns. Close to the priestesses, as they

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 107
kneel against the side wall of the room, stand two hexagonal
boxes of about eighteen inches in height and eleven inches in
diameter, which appear to contain fans. The boxes are covered
with leather-paper of golden hue, and the room is lit by candles
supported on tall iron candlesticks standing on the ground, and by
oil lamps which rest on small brackets projecting from the walls.
We enter the building together with others who have been
invited to the service, and range ourselves in rows across the end
most distant from the priests, leaving a large clear space between
them and ourselves. Now all prostrate themselves, for it is supposed
that the god is leaving the shrine opposite and coming into our
midst. The priests strike up their music, when the three priest
esses and two children rise and begin the dance. The music is
very slow and solemn, and the priestesses, who walk across the
room with slow and stately step, yet with a slight dancing gesture.
prostrate themselves to the very floor in front of the little tables,
They now rise, lifting the sistrums from the table, and, with much
grace and dignity, move in a rhythmical, yet most solemn and
impressive, manner.
For about ten minutes these beautiful motions are alternated
with prostration before the little tables on which the rattles are,
while at other times the rattles are employed in the dance. After
prostrating themselves with the deepest humility before these little
tables or altars, where they remain still as death for a few minutes,
with the rattles in their hands, they return the rattles to their
places on the tables, rise and again kneel in the positions which
they originally occupied by the wall.
The next dance is entirely by the five children ; but it differs
in no important respect from that just described, and the following
dances, for there are five in all, are merely slightly varied repeti
tions of the first. All are equally solemn, equally impressive,
and alike beautiful in the highest and purest sense of the word.
The dances over, all prostrate themselves ; but we are told
not to rise from our places. A priest now comes forward, bearing
in one hand a small tray of clean unpolished and undecorated
pine-wood on which are a few rough, unglazed, small earthen

io8

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

saucers, and in the other a brazen vessel containing sachi
(Japanese wine), and of the size of a small saucepan, but having
two semicircular spouts, and a long wooden handle (Fig. 34). A
small quantity of the sacred wine (about a dessert-spoonful),
poured into a saucer by the priest, is taken from the tray by one
of those for whom the dance has been performed. The recipient
of this wine now bows and drinks. The priest then passes to

Fig. 34. — Brazen Vessel with Wooden Handle.
Used at the Shinto Sacrament as we use the flagon at our Holy Communion.

the next, pours wine into another saucer, when the recipient of
this second portion, in his turn, bows and drinks, and so on, till
we have all partaken of this Shinto sacrament. I was aware
that the dance is supposed to have spiritual efficacy, and that the
wealthy have such dances performed as a means of grace, but I
was not aware that Shinto had its sacrament.
We now return home from the sacred house in which we have
been so much interested, by the lantern-lit grove, but on our way
we diverge a little from our path to see the chief Shinto temple
of Nara, that at the top of the grove being only the second in
importance in this town.
Here we find eight hundred metal lanterns pendent from the
eaves of the roof, and all ablaze with light. And there, opposite,
is a large raised wooden platform which is lit by scores of lanterns ;
this is the playground for the children, and from it comes the
sound of the tramping of many feet and the ringing of cheerful
voices. All seems brightness and joy and mirth. Amidst the
crowd of children I do not hear one cry of sorrow, nor see one
unkind look, — all are thoroughly happy.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 109
Much that we have seen to-day has been of the greatest
possible interest, and never within my experience has so much
been crowded into a few brief hours as on this first day of our
visit to Nara.
I have learnt that more than a thousand years since fabrics
were made which so closely resemble the finest works of Arabia
during the last two or three centuries, that the one can scarcely
be told from the other : — That from some part of Asia cloths were
derived, so similar to those of Italy immediately preceding the
time of Raphael, that the one would pass for the other. I have
found that Chinese embroidery was as perfect twelve hundred
years since as it is now, and that the patterns on Indian fabrics
were in style the same as those produced in the same country
only fifty years since, but purer in form, better in design and
more beautiful in colour ; that the art of felting and giving
pattern to felt was better understood at the time when the
Saracens were conquering Spain than it is at the present moment.
Thus we have the strange fact brought before us that twelve
centuries ago India produced fabrics bearing patterns of the
greatest purity of design, and without any taint of Hindoo orna
ment, and that the art of India was at that period better than it
is now. We ask, then, at what time Indian ornament as we now
know it had its highest development ? for it would seem as
though a decline, however gradual, has been taking place from
that day to this.
I have also learnt that a thousand years ago, in both China
and Japan, the art of manufacturing metals was as far advanced
as it is at this day ; that the art of forming cloisonne" enamels was
as perfectly understood twelve centuries back as it is now ; that
glass was then formed into ewers by some Asiatic people ; that iron
could be hammered into the most beautiful and thinnest of bowls ;
that the Persians made metal peacocks with spreading tails ; that
wood-carving was as well understood in Japan twelve hundred
years since as at almost any later period ; that sculptures in marble
were as perfect then as now ; and that the manufacture of porcelain
in China was as thoroughly understood and as successfully practised

no JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
then as recently. Thus we find from the collection here at Nara
that twelve hundred years have passed over the Eastern world
without bringing about any great improvement in most of the
manufactures, while in some retrogression, rather than advancement,
is painfully apparent.
The fact is also brought before us that but few new manu
factures have been invented during the time that these things have
been hidden in the Mikado's treasury, for we here find illustra
tions of weaving, felting, embroidery, porcelain, glass, metal-work,
casting, chasing, hammering, damascening, and engraving, of
lacquer-work, wood-carving, inlaying, stone-cutting, block-printing,
of leather -making and leather- stamping, and of many other arts
which time does not permit of my recording ; and beyond these
but few manufactures have been invented even to this day.
There is one specimen in the collection of antiquities at Nara
which interests me much, although I have not even mentioned it
up to this time.
We are all familiar with those Bombay sandalwood boxes
which are inlaid with tesserae of white metal, ivory, either white or
stained green, and sometimes with deep red wood. These boxes,
Sir George Birdwood tells us, are but copies of works produced in
Persia. Yet the Persian work differs, in one essential particular,
from that of Bombay ; for while in the latter the inlaid tessera
are brought close together, they are invariably separated in Persian
work by a fine brass ribbon, the edge of which appears on the
surface. I am not aware of ever having seen a specimen of this
Bombay work which could be regarded as anything more than
modern ; but of the Persian work I have not only seen, but I
happen to possess, an example which may date back some two
hundred years ; and beyond some such date as this I am not
aware that we can trace the history of this manufacture. Here,
however, I find in Nara a coarse specimen of this work twelve
hundred years of age ; but where the specimen came from no one
knows. In this example the tesserae are in form elongated
hexagons of about one and a half inches from point to point in
the longest direction, and seven-eighths of an inch in width, and a

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. in
metal line separates the hexagons. Here, then, we have evidence
ofthe existence of a manufacture, though, in this case, in a crude
state, which, so far as I know, we have only been able to trace back
for two or three centuries at the most ; and just as this specimen
reveals the ancient origin of what we have regarded as a modern
art, so it is possible that were the other two-thirds of the Mikado's
collection open to our inspection, they would exhibit to us this art
in the more advanced stages of its development.
While speaking of Indian manufactures, I may make reference
to a box in the collections at Nara, as it was formed of strips of
the bamboo arranged precisely as porcupines' quills are disposed
on boxes common in India to this day. The narrow strips of
bamboo used in the manufacture of this object, and the manner in
which they are placed together, render it probable that either this
formed the original of the porcupine quill boxes of India, or that
these Indian boxes suggested to the Japanese the making of such
as we now find in the Mikado's collection. The latter is by far
the more probable, for while most of the arts which have been
practised in Japan are traceable to the Asiatic Continent, I have
not yet succeeded in tracing any Japanese influence on the arts
of China, India, Persia, Asiatic Turkey, or any other Eastern
country. Inspection of the Nara collections also reveals this fact — a
fact brought prominently into notice during a long journey in
Japan- — that while the Japanese are the most subtle and delicate
of workmen, the most accomplished of handicraftsmen, the most
conscientious of artists, they are yet by no means inventive as a
race. There is a good deal of truth in the statement that the
Japanese have originated nothing, but have improved upon every
thing which they have seen.
Throughout Japan traces of Indian art are constantly found,
while Chinese objects of better class may be seen in the houses of
most of the nobles in the land ; and I have also found patterns
of Persian, Egyptian, and even Celtic character on native work ;
but of these things I will speak hereafter.
We must always remember that at an early period of its

iis JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
history Japan was successful in the invasion and conquest of
Corea ; and this is certain, that many of the arts of Japan, as
well as some of its best architectural features, were derived from
Corea. Through this peninsula many objects of Chinese manu
facture, as well as some from the more central parts of Asia, came
into the hands of the Japanese. Indeed, there is in Kioto a
collection which, like that at Nara, is also the property of the
Mikado, consisting largely of things brought to Japan from Corea
by the conquerors of the country. I mention this now only that
the relations of this Nara collection to the manufactures of
Japan, as well as to the industries of the world, may be better
understood. To-day has also brought us face to face with a religious cere
mony of special interest, and a ceremony peculiar to Nara in
Japan. We have here, in connection with an early form of religion,
a sacrament which is in itself a fact of no little interest ; but the
most striking circumstance connected with the religious dance of
to-night is its likeness to the rites formerly performed by the
priestesses of Isis in ancient Egypt. As, however, this matter is
referred to in an old number of the Japan Weekly Mail I will
extract from that excellent journal a portion of an article in
which reference is made to this ceremony.
Speaking of Nara, the writer says : — " Here is a Shinto shrine,
said to be second in antiquity and importance only to that of Ise.
In a building not far from this shrine, and probably connected
with it, we witnessed a posture-dance performed as a species of
religious ceremony. The performers were three young girls,
handsomely dressed, but perhaps less showily than the ordinary
Geysha (dancing girls). Their movements were of a very solemn
kind, and their use of the sistrum or rattle recalled the Egyptian
priestesses of Isis, of whose performances this instrument was the
unfailing accompaniment. Three priests — one playing a flute,
another a drum, and the third chanting with his voice, and
occasionally beating time on the two simple pieces of wood —
accompanied the dancers. We were informed that performances
of this kind were paid for by devout persons much as masses are

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

113

paid for by Catholics. There are eight dancers or priestesses
attached to the temple. They are the daughters of priests or of
respectable inhabitants, and, we presume, the office is considered
a highly honourable one."
The next morning we rose early and strolled through the town.
We had not got far when our attention was attracted by a care
fully roofed wall, the lower portion
of which was built of a black rag-
stone, and the upper and major part
of plaster tinted to a pleasant yellow-
ochre colour, along which were drawn
five parallel white lines (Fig. 35).
On our asking whether this wall sur
rounded any special building, or
whether tinting it and ruling white
lines is a mere caprice of the owner,
we were told that the yellow wall
with five white lines running through
out its length denotes that the build
ing belongs to, or is directly con
nected with, the Mikado, and that
none but those of royal blood can
have a yellow wall with any lines
upon it, while the number of lines
employed indicates the relationship
to the Emperor.
Some few years back, when about to send an assistant to
Spain and Morocco to make sketches of all kinds of art objects,
my good friend Mr. George Augustus Sala said, " Remember
Spain is the land of nails." My assistant sent me, from this
country, sketches of the grandest nails that I had ever seen, and
even some of the nails themselves which he had managed to
pick up at curiosity shops. But Mr. Sala was but imperfectly
informed on this matter, for Japan is the land of nails and not
Spain : and this he would have been the first to admit had he
walked with me around the old city of Nara this morning. Here
I

Fig. 35— End of Wall. The Wall is of
yellow-ochre colour. This colour, and the
five parallel white lines, indicate that a
person of royal blood owns or administers
this property.

114

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

the temple doors are positively bestudded with such nails as are
in the truest sense ornaments, Fig. 36.
A huge hinge is here sometimes attached to a temple door
with nails having heads from half an inch to an inch and a half

Fig. 36. — Old Nails from Temple-doors in Nara.

in diameter, while every available part of the door itself is in some
cases occupied by nails with heads three and a half inches across.
With these nails I am positively delighted, and I feel con
strained to stay and note their forms in my sketch-book ; yet
while thus engaged I know that I am a drag on my companions.
But here we have not only nails but hinges — grand hinges —
hinges two to three feet in length. And besides hinges we have
metal plates and bindings on the doors. In Nara the old metal-
work would supply the art student with material for study, and
examples to copy, for weeks ; and in no town in the world that
I know of can so much that is interesting in this way be found.
In Troyes there are many bell-pulls, knockers, and door-handles,
which are interesting. Andermatt on the St. Gothard, for a small
place, is rich in art metal-work ; and in Frankfort on the Main,
glorious specimens of hammered -iron still remain to us from
mediaeval times ; but in Nara you are everywhere impressed with
the riches possessed by the town in its metal-work.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 115
We now have another look at the great temple of Dai-butz,
with its vast gates, and the more we look at it the more we are
lost in wonder. The columns of the gates, as we noticed yester
day, are one hundred feet in height by twelve feet in circumference,
while each consists of but one piece of wood, and the building
was erected eleven hundred and thirty-one years since, or in the
year 750 A.D.
It is difficult to conceive of any building existing for eleven
hundred years in a perfect state, especially when it is formed only
of wood, and is exposed to the atmosphere ; yet such a building is
here before me, although it, unlike the old treasury, has doubtless
been at times restored.
When such facts as these are considered it seems difficult to
understand why we should now be persuading the Japanese to
erect buildings of stone and not of wood, especially when it is
remembered that Japan is a land of earthquakes. What build
ings can we show in England which have existed since- the
eighth century and are yet almost as perfect as when first built ?
and yet our buildings rest on a solid foundation, and not on earth
which is constantly rocked by natural convulsions.
Besides this the Japanese have, by the medium of wood,
produced a characteristic and beautiful architecture. In the great
temple of Shiba we have a development of architecture perhaps
equal to anything that has been produced by any people in any
age. Why then should we lead a nation, which is in itself great, to
adopt new methods by which it can only be made to appear small ?
Moreover, when a nation that has erected its habitations in
any simple manner, has begun to build in more solid material, it
invariably appears to retain in the new method of building the
traditions of the past. Thus the Egyptians formed the columns
of their stone-built temples in the form of bundles of Papyrus
reeds ; the roofs of many Chinese buildings sway down in the
centre, and thus perpetuate in form the bent pole which formed
the ridge of the original tent- dwelling, while the walls of the
Alhambra at Granada are mere Arab shawl patterns with borders
complete, for, while yet nomads, the Arabs formed their primitive

n6 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
dwellings of the rich tissues which they wove. In all cases, then,
we find the more solid building embodying the thought or idea of
the original abode of the people.
But history supplies us with a still more remarkable instance
of the perpetuation in stone of an earlier method of construction,
for many of the rock-cut temples of India are simply copies of
works or of a style of work which had pre-existed in wood.
While it is not desirable that any stone building should be a
mere copy, either actually or in spirit, of a wooden structure, a
nation which would produce a noble architecture must erect such
buildings as express the sentiments, faith, and wants of its people,
and the buildings erected must be adapted to the particular
conditions of climate, and result from a legitimate use of the
material most suited to their erection. We, however, have pro
duced in Tokio, the capital of Japan, one or two of the worst
specimens of " work-house architecture ; " and these the natives
are expected to imitate. In this matter we have acted both
wrongly and foolishly. Can we show the Japanese how to erect
buildings one hundred and fifty feet high, on small bases, so that
they will withstand the earthquake ? Can we teach them how to
raise vast gateways and huge temples in stone so that at the end
of eleven hundred years they will find them still standing? I
fear not. Hence I cannot help thinking it only right that we
refrain from obtruding our advice upon a people who know their
own wants better than we do.
We now walked to the avenue, which we saw last night in such
gaiety and life ; the noble cryptomerias of which it is formed are
gigantic indeed. Here we see deer running about, and almost as
tame as dogs are with us. Poor women offer to sell us little balls
of food, such as the deer like, so we make a purchase and then, at
our call, the deer come and eat out of our hands. The deer have
the free run of the town, and wander wherever they like. Little
images of these deer are the popular toy of the place, just as the
bear is dominant in Berne.
We now visit a temple for the purpose of purchasing certain
little netsukies which are peculiar to the town. Many of these

AR T, AND ART MANUFA C TURES. 1 1 7
are in the form of the deer in recumbent posture ; some are
grotesques, while others represent the lobster or crawfish, but
their peculiarity consists in their being formed by a number of
" clean " cuts, the little carving consisting thus of a series of facets
and not of rounded surfaces.
After our return to the hotel, a man brought us some beautiful
Nara fans, which we eagerly bought. An old priest from the
temple to which we yesterday gave a small subscription also called,
and, after greeting us with every mark of respect and kindness,
begged our acceptance of some beautiful oranges arranged on
a most charming' tray. The cloth with which the oranges were
covered was a thing to be coveted. Presented in such a manner
the oranges must certainly be better than if served from a
common basket. It is interesting to notice the beautiful objects
which a Japanese, when he wishes to show either his own wealth,
or respect to another, will bring from a house that appears to
contain nothing but a few domestic utensils.
Mr. Machida now wished us adieu and a pleasant journey,
and promised to get copies made for me of some of the grand old
nails, which I had to-day seen in the temple doors.
The Japanese love antiquities for their own sake and for
the sake of the objects with which they have been associated, and
there is much in the Shinto religion which is calculated to stimu
late this veneration.
My admiration of the art was mistaken for veneration of the
old ; hence Mr. Machida, instead of fulfilling his. engagement,
by getting nails made in imitation of those at Nara, went to great
expense and trouble, in order to procure genuine pieces of old
metal-work from some ancient building of especial interest ; thus
after my return to England, I received a box with a charming
letter from my old friend, in which he says in the quaintest
of language, " and I present two ornamental coverings of nail-
heads, used in Rashomon and Congdshuin, and twenty-one old
irons to you." To our great amusement, the " twenty-one old
irons " proved to be literally " old irons," so far as we could see,
with the exception of one or two only. But I value them for the

118 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
sake of the giver, and the day may yet come when, by increased
knowledge I may discover in them points of interest which at
present I am unable to perceive.
As we left Nara for Kioto the sky became heavy. The road
was new, having been prepared for the Mikado, who is to visit
this town in a few days. On our journey we stopped for refresh
ment at a little wayside inn, where the inevitable eggs and rice
appeared ; but they were now welcome, for it was bitterly cold,
and half melted snow had been for some time falling.
At this little hotel the Mikado is to stop on his way from
Kioto to Nara, and for his reception a new room has been pre
pared at the back of the house. This room is of clean, unvar
nished pine-wood with the usual paper slides, and the floor is
covered with matting. Near one end is a raised dais, which
consists of mattress -like pads, also covered with matting. A
simple openwork lattice runs along the top of the room as a
sort of frieze, intervening between the ceiling and the tops of
the paper slides, for in all rooms there is this provision for the
circulation of air should the slides be closed. In this case the
pattern of the lattice is peculiarly simple. In the garden is a
small fish-pond of about four feet in diameter, which is well
stocked with fish, any of which you may select for your dinner.
There is a charming simplicity about all this. No costly
preparations have been made for the visit of the emperor, no
elaborately fitted rooms have been prepared, no expensive furniture
purchased. The Mikado comes as one of the people, and stays
at a little wayside inn, with only one small room as his abode.
But that room is perfect in its way : the materials of which it is
formed are of the best, and the workmanship is faultless, while
there is a look of cleanliness about it which it would be difficult
to equal in any country, and impossible to surpass.
Looking at this room and admiring its beauty, we expressed
our surprise at the simple taste of the Mikado. We were told
that the food which he will partake of is exactly the same as
that prepared for the guests at the hotel. To us it seemed strange
that a monarch should content himself with such simple surround-

ART AND ART MANUFACTURES. 119
ings, and such common fare ; but on a people like the Japanese
this must have a marked effect.
Farther on the road we find a bridge two hundred and fifty
yards in length, which has been built in twenty-seven days, so as
to be ready for the Mikado to pass over.
At the end of a seven hours' journey we reach Kioto, cold and
wearied with the cramped position in which we have been obliged
to sit, as the hoods of the jinrikishas were spread. We take
up our abode at the Mariyama Hotel — the house at which most
foreigners make their home while in Kioto. It is often called the
European Hotel, yet it is a thoroughly Japanese building, although
it possesses tables and chairs, bedsteads and washstands. After a
semi -English dinner, Mr. Saumarez leaves us to join Sir Harry
Parkes and the other foreign ministers in a Yashiki, or Daimio
palace, in order to make preparations for their appearance to
morrow in state at the official opening of the railway, on which, as
the reader may have gathered, trains have been running for some
months past.
While this hotel is by no means small, it is uncomfortably
full of visitors, owing to the influx of people desiring to see the
ceremony. I have a bed, however, but I should scarcely be
justified in saying that I have a bedroom, for my bed is in a strip
of a room, divided off from another portion which is also occupied
by six-fold draught-screens, such as we use in our own rooms.
Early the next morning, on pushing aside the window-slides, I
was more than surprised at the magnificence of the view which lay
spread before me. The hotel stands high on the side of a richly-
wooded hill, and my room faced the plain which extends at its
base. From the balcony surrounding the building I looked down
on a grand old spreading fir-tree, a lovely garden, and a richly-
wooded slope, while yonder lay stretched far over the plain a vast
city. Here and there rose pagodas of beautiful proportion and
elegant shape, while beyond the plain were snow-clad mountains,
mingled with cloud and mist.
As I looked from my balcony, I could not help feeling that
there is a likeness between the lovely view before me and that

120 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
which may be obtained behind the Salt Lake City in America.
But while the town itself presents but little interest in the one
case, it is of the highest interest in the other. The Salt Lake
City has a half finished appearance, and consists largely of insig
nificant wooden houses, while Kioto is most picturesque and of
vastly greater size. Both cities, however, stand on plains sur
rounded by mountains ; in both cases the mountains seem to be
much of the same height, and in both cases the city is much
nearer the one side of the plain than the other.
This is a gala day here : the shops are closed, business is
suspended, and the streets are decorated, while people in holiday
attire crowd the chief thoroughfares. So dense is the throng near
the railway station, that I am compelled to give up the notion of
getting within view of the pageant, and to content myself with
being a general sight-seer.
In her Voyage in the Sunbeam, Lady Brassey speaks of the
opening of this railway. It is curious that I should see the Kioto
festivities, while Mr. and Mrs. Brassey (now Sir Thomas and Lady
Brassey) were observing those at the Kobe end of the railway,
and that, while we were both almost treading in each other's foot
steps, we should never have met during our sojourn in Japan.
Finding that little was to be done in Kioto for which I could
spare time, beyond the sight-seeing, I moved on the following
day to Osaka, which I reached after a railway journey of less than
two hours. The distance is forty miles, but the trains in Japan
run slowly.
Osaka is probably the most important of the manufacturing
towns in the country. It is intersected in all directions by canals,
and has, for this reason, been called the Venice of Japan. Yet
there is very little likeness between the two places, and I should
rather regard it as the Amsterdam than the Venice of the country.
Here I take up my abode at the Jiyutei Hotel, in the quarter of
the town called Kawakuchi, a building two stories in height, and
called the European house ; but although the rooms upstairs
are furnished much like the Mariyama Hotel at Kioto, the ground-
floor is without furniture, as is customary in Japanese houses.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 121
The manufactures of Osaka are of many kinds. Much
bamboo-work is made here, and also toys of many sorts, pierced
and lattice wood-work (Fig. 37), vase-stands and cabinets in hard

Fig. 37. — Part of a Window.

wood, like those of China, tea-trays, bronze and white metal
kettles, carved lac-work, and many other things.
After studying the manufactures of Osaka for about ten days,
I left it by jinrikisha for Wakayama, the chief town of the
province of Kishiu, distant about forty-two English miles. We
start at 10 A.M., and in two hours (twelve miles) reach Sakai,
one of the two towns of Japan in which carpets are made.1 Here
we visit a temple reached by a bridge, the road over which is so
convex that notches have to be cut for the feet to rest in, and
without them it would be impossible to cross it, even with the
help of the handrail with which it is furnished.
1 Carpets were formerly made by the Prince of Hiezen, but this private manufacture
ceased at the time of the revolution in 1868, as the Daimio system wis then done away
with.

122 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Soon after leaving Sakai we approached the sea, and saw, at
a distance of four or five miles, a glorious range of mountains,
which must either be an island or a promontory. On our left, at
about the same distance, is another mountain chain, and we are
running towards the end of this ridge. In thirty miles we turn to
the left, go through a defile, not unlike that of Linton in North
Devon, and following a stream to its source, cross the ridge, when
a scene which is truly wonderful bursts upon the view. Here a
vast plain, having rivers traversing it and lakes like silver mirrors
breaking its green surface, has a range of snow-clad mountains as its
background ; and yonder a little village nestles beneath us. We now
begin a rapid, zigzag descent by following a sort of Saint Gothard
road on a small scale, and reach the plain at twilight. The moon
is new, but its entire circle is visible, the sky has a few little fleecy
clouds flecking it, and the stars come out with great brilliancy.
There is a fine "afterglow," but this beautiful light soon passes away.
Our road for the next mile lies across a vast river-bed, con
sisting of a little sand and innumerable boulders : such valleys are
here common. During the rainy season (which occurs in the late
spring time) vast quantities of water fall, and, collecting in the
valleys, form mighty torrents. As there is but little rain at any
other . time of the year these rapidly-running rivers gradually
become contracted to small streams, which flow in the centres of
the river-beds, or, in some cases, entirely dry up. In the middle
of this strange, stony valley, over which we have been most
unmercifully jolted, we come to the river, which we cross by means
of a flat-bottomed boat. This carries us and our five Jinrikishas
across the stream at the same time. In this valley the cold seems
almost unbearable ; indeed I never before felt cold at all approach
ing it ; it seems almost to stop the action of the heart. Yet, in
preparation for a thoroughly cold drive, I had dressed myself in a
thick tweed suit, thick underclothing, a flannel over-shirt, a wadded
silk dressing-gown, and a very stout topcoat, while over my knees
I had a large wadded possum skin rug. But with all this I had
to borrow from one of our coolies a blanket which he was not
using to wrap my head in.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 123
At a little before eight we reach Wakayama. Here is an
excellent Japanese hotel, where, after a good meal, in part Japanese
and in part English, I write my diary and go to bed.
I have already spoken of the Japanese beds and of the
difficulty of keeping warm in them, but I have now overcome the
difficulty, in most cases, through a suggestion of my good friend
Saumarez, who advised me to take with me while travelling a
thick wadded dressing-gown and to wear it as a night-dress.
But even this failed to keep out the terrible cold which now pre
vails in this part of Japan ; so I was obliged to retain my thick
underclothing, wear my wadded dressing-gown, and then wrap
myself round and round in the fur rug. By these means I just
manage to keep out the cold.

124 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

CHAPTER V.
The Japanese Calendar — Wakayama — Japanese cold and Japanese vegetation — Koya-
zan — Splendour of shrines and of scenery — Sakai — News of revolt in Satsuma —
Return to Osaka — Feast of the god of riches.
To-DAY being the 15 th of February is New Year's Day in
Japan according to the old Calendar. The Julian year and our
system of dates was only adopted a short time since ; hence some
now keep both days. Most of the shops in Wakayama have
been closed to-day, and general holiday has been kept. This year,
1877, is, according to Japanese chronology, 2537, from the
beginning of their empire. It is strange that there has never
been, as far as is known, anything like a Sabbath in Japan until
last year, when one was proclaimed by the Government ; but thus
far this proclamation has affected only the Government officials,
for shops are open and business is transacted on all days of
the year, save on the great holidays and on the feast days of their
favourite gods.
Under the old system of recording time many difficulties
arose, for the same year was constantly recurring, and to specify
any particular year reference had to be made to the reigning
Mikado as well as to the name of the year ; and, curiously, the
hours of the day bore the same names as the years in a cycle.
The Japanese day, however, from midnight to midnight, was only
divided into twelve hours, each as long as two of ours. Their
clock also differed essentially from ours, time being here marked
by a small horizontal hand, which slid down a scale, resembling
that of our thermometers.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 125
The names of the years in a cycle and the hours in the day,
to which latter are added the hours of our time indicated, are : —
Ne, mouse . . 1 2 at night.
Ushi, ox . 2 A.M.
Tora, tiger . . . 4 a.m.
Uw, hare, . 6 a.m.
Tatsu, dragon . . . 8 a.m.
Mi, snake . 10 a.m.
Uma, horse . . . .12 noon.
Hitsuzi, sheep 2 p.m.
Saru, monkey . . 4 p.m.
Tori, cock . 6 p.m.
Inu, dog ... 8 p.m.
Ie, boar . 10 p.m.
The year A.D. 1877 is the year of the boar, the preceding year
being that of the dog.
Wakayama is a town of medium size with several industries,
but it is especially celebrated for its oranges, and here in the little
garden of our hotel, bitterly cold though the weather is, are two
trees laden with golden fruit.
For the strange fact that semi-tropical fruits, and almost
tropical plants, will grow in a country where there is such intense
cold I can account only in this way : even in the depth of
winter the sun yields such heat as, in almost all cases, to melt
the frost of the preceding night, and thus the cold never
penetrates deeply into the ground.
I have seen pendent from the eaves of a house icicles a yard
in length, which have been formed between sun-down and sun
rise ; yet I never saw ice on which I might venture to walk, save
once, and that was on a small pool entirely protected from the
sun's rays by an overhanging rock. It is also possible that in a
highly volcanic country like Japan subterranean heat may have
something to do with keeping the roots of plants warm.
Whether any observations respecting the earth's temperature at
varying depths have here been made or not I cannot say ; but
the fact remains that we have the orange luxuriating, the tea-
plant flourishing, the bamboo acquiring colossal proportions, and

126 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
here and there a palm-tree in a sheltered spot, while the cold
experienced is sometimes almost Polar.
It is morning ; the sky is almost cloudless, but the weather
is very cold, and ice is everywhere, yet we perform our ablutions
on the open balcony.
Our business to-day is to see the lacquer manufactures at
a little town ten miles distant called Kuroye-mura, or Black
Estuary village, which we reach about mid-day.
The lacquer wares here made are cheap and of medium
quality. Some have patterns given to them by scratching. This
scraffito work is, however, very inferior to that formerly made in
the dominion of the Prince of Kaga. Since the overthrow of the
baronial system that beautiful manufacture, in its better form, has
ceased, and the inferior wrork of this village and of a few other
unimportant places, is all that replaces it, so far as I know.
I am the first European that has ever visited this town, and
the whole of the inhabitants turn out to see the wild beast. At
Awaji the excitement caused by the appearance of the foreigner
was indeed great ; but here it knows no bounds. A Government
official has accompanied us from Wakayama for my safety, and
two policemen join us at Kuroye-Mura for the same purpose.
They are certainly useful in clearing our way through the crowd.
On our way back we saw one of the thirty-three Japanese
temples of note belonging to a particular sect of Buddhists.1 It
stands high on a mountain-side, and is reached by three hundred
steps. The building in itself is not very remarkable, but the
splendid camphor -wood tree in front of it, and the view of
mountain, plain, bay, sea, and islands, which it commands are more
lovely than words can express.
On beginning the descent I felt utterly terrified at the
appearance of the steps by which we had reached the temple,
although accustomed to heights ; for a staircase consisting of
three hundred steep steps in an unbroken line, all of exactly
the same size, is something fearful to look upon.
This is no peculiarity of the temple of Kimee-Tera. Many
1 The great temple of Asakusa in Tokio is one of the thirty-three.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 127
temples in Japan stand on rocky eminences, or wooded slopes,
high above the road, and almost all temples have commanding
and beautiful situations.
On our return to Wakayama I strolled round the town, where
I found large cabinet manufactories ; but hearing that a pottery
in which the well-known Kishiu ware is made is only two miles
away I preferred to go and see it. Of the manufactures I shall
have to speak hereafter.
At the hotel I found specimens of the native industries sent
for my inspection by order of the governor of the town. Amongst
these are what we might describe as cotton flannels both plain and
chequered, bed-tickings, a kind of arrowroot, Japanese isinglass,
preserved oranges, and tanned ox hides — a new and smal"
manufacture resulting from the introduction of the beef-eating
European into the country.
Here, for the first time, I saw the " fingered orange," called
by the natives the " Hand of Buddha." This is a peculiar variety
in which a series of finger-like members protrude from the upper
parts of the fruit to the length of three or four inches. Apart
from this strange variation of form it differs little from the
ordinary orange.
Our next excursion was to a city of the greatest possible in
terest — a city consisting almost wholly of temples, and nestling
in a slight depression on the summit of a vast mountain. This
city, called Koya-Zan or High Field Mountain, can be reached
only by a long day's work ; we were therefore actually on our
road by 7. 1 5 A.M.
Our way for the first few miles lay in the direction of Osaka ;
but instead of leaving the river as we should do to regain this
town we followed the bank of the stream for twenty-seven or
twenty-eight miles, crossing and re-crossing the water from time
to time. We were now at the small town of Miozi-Mura, where
we were told that we must take kagos, as jinrikishas cannot
proceed farther. We here have tiffin while the kagos are being
prepared ; but after an hour's delay we are told to go four or
five miles farther and then get them, and that jinrikishas can go

128 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
on, though with difficulty. We start, but soon find our carriages
of little use : the road, or bank, on which we run is narrower than
the vehicles, so they are carried, while we walk.
The kagos supplied to us at Kamuro-Mura may be thus
described. Each has a circular disc of basket-work with a slightly
raised rim suspended by four ropes from the centre of a pole of
wood about twelve feet in length, six or eight inches deep, and
three inches in thickness. Extending from the centre of this
pole to the right and left is a little roof, while a board ascends as
a back rest from the basket to the hindmost part of the canopy.
To take a seat in this vehicle is a much more difficult matter
than might be supposed. The Japanese are chiefly small men ;
and through being accustomed to squat on the floor from earliest
infancy their joints have a pliability unknown to ours. Hence my
companions double themselves up into a sort of ball and appear
perfectly happy. After many efforts my success is only partial.
My feet will hang out, and I am obliged to get the coolies to
form two stirrups of string to support my legs, and save them
from being cut by the raised edge of my seat.
Three men are engaged to carry the burly foreigner, while
two suffice for each of the other members of the party ; thus one
of mine is always resting while two are at work.
We now start on our march, a man bearing each end of the
enormous pole, from the centre of which the scale-like contrivance
depends with one of us seated in it. The men walk steadily and
with firm step, stopping to rest about once every hundred yards ;
but when about to stop each man places under his end of the
pole a strong stick which he carries for this purpose. At every
stoppage one of my men is released, the spare coolie taking his
place. Uncomfortable though I am, the air is so cold, and I am
so tired from the exertions of the last few days, that I soon fall
asleep. When we started in the kago we were ascending a high
hill on the right bank of the river, and how the poor men carried
me up I do not know. Yet they talked and laughed as though
they were simply amusing themselves. When I awake in about
half an hour the scene is simply wonderful. We are on a little

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 129
path skirting a mountain slope, and down some fifteen hundred
feet beneath us, in a strange and most precipitous dell, nestles a
little village wrapped in palm-trees and bamboos.
To the village in this hollow we descend, and here every
house appears to be engaged in the manufacture of paper, for the
boards on which it is dried lean against every wall.
We now begin the ascent of a much higher hill than that
over which we have just passed. The path soon becomes so
steep that I get out and walk. The peeps into the valleys deep
down below us, the views of mountain peaks, which are here as
numerous as the trees in a forest, and the river that we have
repeatedly crossed winding its tortuous way through the centre of
its vast stony bed, I shall never forget. Sometimes we look down
between the trunks of trees into a defile that seems bottomless,
while all around are cryptomerias of huge proportions.
We now gain the edge of another picturesque valley, at the
other side of which is a village, which we reach by skirting a
mountain and making but a slight descent. This is the village of
Kamiya-tsuji, and as there are no hotels in the sacred city to which
we are journeying, we should have been obliged to remain here
for the night had not the governor of the province in his goodness
despatched a policeman to give notice of our arrival, so that
preparation might be made for our sojourn in the city. I now try
my kago once again, but in less than fifteen minutes fhe ascent
becomes perfectly fearful ; so I again alight, to the great joy of
my coolies.This mountain differs much from any that I have before seen,
for, while it towers to a great height, it is most richly covered
with immense timber trees to its very summit. Here are also
great vine-like stems, rising from the ground to the lower branches
of the trees, and then in a hundred festoons leaping from bow
to bow, — a thoroughly tropical habit. I am told that this is the
Westeria-creeper in its native abodes ; yet while in growth this
plant is here thoroughly tropical, we are getting to ice and snow,
which at this height cover the ground to a considerable thickness.
The snow gets more slippery, the path more steep, the ravines
K

1 30 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
deeper, till they surpass anything that I have before seen. Never
have I looked down to such a depth between immense trunks of
trees as I now do. The bottoms of valleys are many hundreds
of feet below us, yet the mountain, with its rich plumous vegeta
tion, towers far above. The path now becomes so steep that I
can scarcely climb it; so a coolie, having straw sandals on his
feet, pushes me from behind. My thirst is so great that I gladly
fill my mouth with snow. More toil, more lovely views, more
snow, and in the late twilight, with the crescent moon and a few
stars of exceeding brightness above us, we reach the top.
On our left is a small temple, and on the right a Dai-butz.
For a thousand years, and until the revolution of ten years back,
no woman had passed this spot. For ten centuries no female
had entered the hallowed precincts of the sacred city, and but few
foreigners have yet visited this most remarkable of all cities. I
am the fifth Englishman that has set foot on this sacred soil, Sir
Harry Parkes being one of the five.
We are now met by two more policemen, — a sergeant and a
private (the one with us is a corporal), — and a priest, and, by
the lights of lanterns, are conducted to a great Buddhist temple,
where we are to lodge for the night.
It must not be supposed that in lodging in a temple we take
up our abode in the sacred edifice itself. Around the building,
or at its back, yet immediately connected with it, are arranged
living-rooms, which are to the Buddhist priest what the parsonage-
house is to an English clergyman.
The living rooms placed at our service are most charming.
The ceilings are in square panels of plain, clean wood, and the
woodwork of the walls is also without paint or varnish. The slides
forming the partitions between adjacent rooms have landscapes
drawn upon them in a beautiful, though conventional manner;
heavy horizontal clouds cross the mountains, but these clouds are
in solid gold, with a raised outline and diaper-work upon them,
the diaper and the outline being rendered visible only through
their surface being raised above that of the ground.
An excellent meal is now prepared, but no eggs, no fish, and

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 131
no meat may be sold on the mountain. One profane policeman
has, however, brought with him ten eggs, of which he gives me
four. Being exceedingly hungry, I eat without scruple, enjoying
my meal, and drinking freely of the hot Japanese tea.
Although everything is so pure, so clean, and so thoroughly
Japanese, European influence has, nevertheless, invaded the
precincts of this city of temples, for in the late evening a common
paraffin lamp of the ugliest form and commonest make was
brought to me. I felt that the place was desecrated by this
wretched specimen of Brumagem art ; and apart from the question
of taste, the danger of introducing paraffin into such an inflam
mable building as a Japanese house is very great.
I am in the town of Koya-zan, a town consisting chiefly of
temples, of which four hundred and forty now exist on the moun
tain, while formerly a thousand such buildings nestled amidst the
rich foliage which here surrounds us. In the town there are one
hundred and ninety-nine houses and shops not connected with the
temples, and the population is one thousand and ninety-five, of
whom three hundred and eighty-five are priests. Here is the
largest university for the rearing of priests in Japan.
February 18. — By seven we are astir, and by eight have
breakfasted, and are ready to see the temples. The morning is
bitterly cold, and the night has been intensely so. Placed near
my bed was the largest Hibachi that I have yet seen in Japan, and
this contained a pile of glowing charcoal, such as I have never
seen before in this country. Yet, when I awoke in the morning a
towel, which I had spread beside it to dry, was frozen as stiff as
buckram, while a bottle of water near my head was solid ice.
With the chief priest of the temple as guide, we started to see
the town. Passing the little shops, where I purchased a few old
and interesting things, and trudging through the snow, under the
shadow of cryptomeria trees a hundred and fifty feet in height,
we entered a vast grove where gigantic coniferous trees spanning
the roadway and meeting together form one vast cathedral nave,
under which monuments to ten thousand of the great dead find
shelter.

1 32 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
This grove is magnificent beyond all description. Under the
richest of foliage are arranged thousands of monuments, from ten
to twenty feet in height. All the larger monuments are similar
in form, and are made of the same number of stones. The top
most stone is of the form of an onion, the next of a cup, the
third is square and has four ear- like corners, the
fourth is a compressed sphere, the fifth a cube.
Then comes the base, consisting of a lotus mould-
^  y ing, and a slab or plinth, on which the whole rests
(Fig. 38). There are hundreds of these monuments
at either side of the grove ; and here and there
a little shrine of superb architecture gives variety

//Jll.Hl\\X\ to the scene. These shrines are as richly orna-

I 1 mented and as elaborately coloured as the Al-
fig. 38.— monument hambra at Granada.
in the Sacred 1 1 • 1
Grove at koya- All of these monuments and shrines have been
erected by relatives or friends of deceased per
sons, and the larger structures commemorate almost exclusively
great warriors. A little boy runs before the priest, and in a
singing voice cries out the names of the chief celebrities to whom
the monuments have been erected.
We saw the first monument here raised, it having being built
during the lifetime of the founder of this grove, Kobo-Daishi,
who died A.D. 843.
As I see it the grove is very charming. On the ground is
snow, several inches in depth ; the sun is just peeping through the
trees ; white masses of the crystallised water, like so many spotless
doves, keep falling from the branches high above us, while the
thousands of monuments, and the richly coloured shrines, make up
a scene altogether indescribable.
Traversing the grove for about a mile, and crossing one or
two streams, which are spanned by bridges, we come to a temple
directly facing us, and which, with its associated buildings, termi
nates the grove. This temple is the Toro-do. Into this temple
we look, but are not permitted to enter.
About a hundred lamps are burning in it, and the priests are

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

'33

engaged in melting the frozen oil over charcoal fires, in order to
kindle more lamps, and replenish those already burning. As our
eye becomes more accustomed to the dim light of the sacred edifice
we see that it is filled with lanterns ; indeed, stands somewhat
resembling those used at our railway stations for the lamps of the
train are crowded together, and while each of these contains three
layers of lamps, the stands are so numerous as almost entirely to
fill the temple.
Our priest-guide now informs us that there are eight thousand
of these lamps in the building, that on ordinary days about one
hundred and fifty are kept burning, that on feast-days about
fifteen hundred are lit, while on the 26th day of April — the
anniversary of the death of the founder of the grove, and of that
sect of Buddhists to which all the temples on this hill belong, —
nearly the whole eight thousand are lit. The temple is black
with smoke and greasy with oil. As we face the temple we see
on our left a small piece of enclosed ground, containing a few
plain mounds of earth with stone monuments of great simplicity
crowning them. These are the monuments of Mikados, and it
may here be noted, that while the Shogun found his resting-place
in a magnificent tomb, the grave of the Mikado was always a
simple mound of earth ; but no one is buried in this grove, for it
is not a cemetery. It is simply a vast collection of monuments
raised to the illustrious dead.
Behind this temple, which is so rich in lanterns, is a small
building almost hidden by trees. It is thatched, and built of
wood, and has on its summit that onion-shaped ball which repre
sents the soul, or spirit, of man. This is the shrine of the founder,
who died one thousand and forty-four years prior to my visit, and
here I see the poor coolies who dragged our jinrikishas from
Wakayama to Kamuro-Mura performing their devotions. Although
they had dragged us twenty-five miles, they follow us throughout
the remainder of our journey (twelve miles) and climb this great
mountain as though they were actually in need of exercise.
We now return through the grove, and, passing the shops, come
to a pagoda of peculiar construction. Near it is a temple, differ-

134 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
ing widely from that at the end of the grove, for it is nearly new
(it was built eighteen years since), is exceedingly clean, and is
beautifully decorated. This is the Gokoo-Shio.
We now visit another temple near at hand, where we are
received by three priests, who show us the treasures of the sacred
edifice. These consist chiefly of swords, but there is a much
prized manuscript by the founder of the grove, one thousand and
fifty years old, and yet in excellent preservation, and a manuscript
by a Mikado who reigned some centuries since. The name of
the temple in which these rare antiquities are preserved is
Kongoho-Zi. Visiting a house containing a thousand gods, I bought two
drawings of their favourite divinities, a piece of blessed rice cake,
and two pieces of a kind of moss that is said never to die.
After continuing our round as long as time will permit, we
return to our temple, and are not a little glad to find a meal pre
pared for us. Our host tells us that the sect of Buddhists to
which this mountain belongs forbids its priests to marry, and also
to eat beast, bird, fish, or eggs. Thus it is supposed that they
neither create nor destroy life.
Upon thinking matters over, I am at a loss to understand
where the four hundred and forty temples which are said to rest
on this mountain-top are ; I have seen some twenty or thirty, but
the four hundred odd have not come within my observation.
Through each vista in the wood I see, indeed, the roofs of build
ings, and all of these, I am told, are temples. But in order to
understand this mysterious city properly a sojourn of weeks would
be necessary ; and even then but little would be known of the
innumerable shrines, monuments, and temples which make up
Koya-Zan. In the midst of fast- falling snow we start on our return
journey. The priest brings us to the end of the buildings, and a
policeman sees us to that Dai-butz which marks the entrance of
the town. None of us enter our kagos, for the road is so steep
and the path so slippery that we are afraid to be carried.
Soon my boots become as slippery as the ice-covered ground

ART, AND ART M ANU FA C TURES. 1 3 5
on which I tread. Two coolies come to my help, and I manage
to get on only by putting an arm round the neck of each.
Seeing that the Japanese can walk in safety in their straw
sandals, I ask the coolies to tie a pair on my boot soles, as they
have a stock in reserve ; but as no amount of tying secures them
in this position I am forced to take off my boots and adopt the
native shoe. I find that I can now walk with ease. So all goes
well till we reach a warm hollow in which the snow is melting.
Here the discomfort reaches its acme, as I might as well be wading
through iced water with naked feet as walking in sludge with
simple sandals on.
We continue our journey along the winding path and down
such descents as I never remember seeing, even in Switzerland.
We wear neither topcoat nor hat, sheltering ourselves from the
snow with a native umbrella, yet we are almost melting with heat.
Never did I see effects more weird and grand than those which
are now before us. Trees bending over with snow, palm-trees
presenting the strangest of aspects, bamboos like huge white
ostrich feathers ; while down yonder, far beneath us, is a dimly-
drawn distance which might belong to another world, as it has no
features familiar to us in this.
We journey on, and it becomes dark. The evening is bitterly
cold, hence we are not sorry to reach the little town where the
night is to be spent and to have a meal, though it consists of eggs
as usual. The little hotel in which we are lodged is clean and
comfortable, and it certainly is well ventilated, for around the top
of my room there is an open-work frieze of eight inches in depth
communicating directly with the open air. Snow and ice without
and no fire within, while the wind courses through the chamber
just as it pleases, do not add to comfort ; yet, wrapped in my
dressing-gown and my rug, I sleep soundly and suffer no harm
from the cold.
We have a long day before us, so we rise early and by seven
are on our road. My boots are so damp that it is impossible to
get them on, hence I resolve to try Japanese socks and sandals,
and to keep my feet dry and well wrapped in fur ; but how vain

i36 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
are man's hopes ! We have not got two miles on the road when
the path becomes narrower than the vehicle ; hence I have to
trudge through the snow, while the jinrikisha is carried Our
road lies along a path, skirting a river often forty to sixty feet
below us. Reeds at the side of this elevated path look like solid
ground, and in many parts the path is but little broader than
the jinrikisha. Throughout the whole of this portion of our ride
there is constant excitement, for the danger of our slipping over
the precipice is not slight, and once I was saved only by making
a sudden lurch in the opposite direction, while my men gave a
sudden bounce.
A cold bath is not pleasant at this season of the year, and it
is likely to be peculiarly distasteful when the carriage accompanies
you in your descent, and the water which you reach in forty feet
is but one foot deep.
The road gets better, but the snow gets thicker ; still by
eleven o'clock half our journey is over. The snow ceases to fall,
the sun shines fitfully, and then come showers of cutting hail.
The snow becomes sludgy, then less in quantity, and we find
Sakai, the town for which we had been making, with streets as
dry as if it were an August day.
We now go to the Government House — a building of great
beauty, and formerly a temple — and see samples of the manufac
tures of the province, which have been collected here for my
inspection. There are cotton fabrics, silk crapes, earthen vessels,
glass beads (the glass in a crude state, being imported from
Europe), with other things, but nothing that strikes me as specially
suited to European wants.
Bidding adieu to the governor, we visit first the chief carpet
manufactory, a very small establishment, in which weaving is
carried on in the most simple and rude manner ; then the cutlery
shops which here abound — for Sakai is the seat of the steel
manufactures of Japan, — and afterwards a pottery, where only
coarse wares are made.
We were just going to take our seats in our jinrikishas, when
Mr. Sakata, whom we had missed for some time past, came in

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 137
excitedly with the news that a revolution had broken out in
Satsuma, and that an army was on its way thither to quell the
rebellion.1 Sakata himself is from the south. We start, however,
for Osaka, and after a pleasant run reach our old hotel, where I
am glad to find a comfortable European bed awaiting me.
The next two days are spent in Osaka, with the exception of
a few hours devoted to visiting a pottery near Hiogo, where Kishiu
ware is made. We now learn that the insurrection has spread to
several provinces, and Mr. Saumarez writes from Tokio to say
that it may be serious, as most of the army consists of Satsuma
men. The weather now presents a striking contrast with that of
two days since, for it is gloriously fine, and as warm as spring.
Yonder, however, in the distance are the snow -clad mountains,
and I fear that were we on the higher ground, we should still find
winter in all its severity. Upon our return from Kobe, after
visiting the pottery, we found that to leave the railway station
at Osaka we had to pass between two rows of policemen. A
little excitement was caused by one of our party being seized, but
after explanation he was allowed to join us again, — the fact is,
he was accused of being a Satsuma man, and all the natives of
this province unless in Government employ, being regarded as
insurgents, are cast into prison till tranquillity is restored.
It is a feast-day of one of the gods of riches : — the god Yebisu
is receiving homage, and both here, at stations on the road, and
at Kobe, hundreds of people are out in holiday attire worshipping
1 This rebellion ultimately became very serious, and it materially circumscribed my
route in Japan. The rebellion of 1868 A.D. which ended in the overthrow of the Shogun
and the restoration of the Mikado, was headed by General Saigo, who, being victorious,
was ultimately made the Commander-in-Chief of the Mikado's troops. This General
Saigo had a younger brother who also became a general in the royal army, and it is
this brother of whom I have so often spoken at the commencement of this work. The
senior Saigo has now himself become the arch-rebel, and is warring against the powers
which he himself set up. The younger brother has recently been made Commander-in-
chief of the royal troops, hence we have the strange spectacle of two brothers heading
contending armies. After months of warfare the rebellion was ended by the Royalists
proving victorious, and the rebel chief committing hara-kiri. The younger brother is
now the Japanese Minister of War, but those who are interested in this matter should
read that admirable book, The Satsuma Rebellion, by Mounsey.

138 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
their god. Yebisu is one of the seven gods of plenty. He sits
with one leg up and one down, is always laughing, has a fish
(the red tai) under his left arm, and is fond of sachi.
Near the temples where this god is worshipped are numerous
stalls, where you may purchase on his feast-day, toy fishes of red
colour and sachi tubs. This god and another, Daikoku, seem
always associated, and they may both be purchased in the form
of small images. Charms are sold on this feast day, each bundle
of which contains a piece of gold paper (supposed to be an old
gold coin), a model ingot of silver, bags for money, a large bag for
ingots, a bag of rice, an account-book, a hammer (the hammer
of the god Daikoku), a key of a warehouse, a measure of quantity,
a pair of scales, and ribbon-like streamers. This bunch secures
good luck to the possessor, and in its simplest form may be pro
cured for one halfpenny.
The seven gods of riches are, Yebisu1 whom I have already
described ; — Daikoku, who sits on two rice bags, holds a hammer
in one hand, and is also always laughing ; if this god strikes
with his hammer money appears wherever the blow falls ; — Hotei,
who has a very large stomach, large ears, and who sits beside a
very large bag containing valuable things ; — Jiuro, who has a very
high forehead, is very old, has a long beard, holds a staff in his
hand (generally a deer is represented as following this god), and
gets riches through his wisdom ; — Ben-ten, a goddess, who has a
musical instrument and snakes following her ; — Bishiamon, who
wears armour and gets rich by conquest, has a spear, and bears a
small pagoda in his left hand ; and Fukuroku, who wears a cap
resembling that of our brewers' men, with the top falling over,
and has a beard, but I cannot learn how this gentleman acquires
his wealth. The first three and the female appear to be known
to every one in Japan ; but the latter three are not well known.
Osaka is rich in temples, some of which are most elaborately
and beautifully carved. One pagoda and temple are worthy of
special note, as even the under surfaces of the over-hanging roofs
are most richly modelled and coloured. But a description of the
1 If any one laughs inordinately it is said that he laughs like Yebisu.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

139

numerous temples of this city could only appear monotonous,
beautiful though some of them are. In one that we visit chanting
is going on and music which reminds me of an English pleasure
fair. Here in a belfry is a priest with two thick shavings of wood
in his hand, each being beautifully cut, and about ten inches in
length by one inch and a half in breadth ; on each is written the
name of a dead child. Behind the priest are two women joining
in the chant, and it is they who have lost their infant children.
Around the interior of this belfry runs a small gallery, the
lattice railing of which is literally covered with the belongings of
children — frocks, hats, sandals, dolls, etc., and on the floor of the
edifice are many similar things. These have all belonged to
children now dead, and have been brought by the mothers to this
sacred spot. The chant being over, the priest strikes the great
bell three times with a heavy rope which dangles by its side and
causes it to give forth its grand booming sound. He then gives
the shavings to the mothers, one to each. These shavings the
women take to a sunken tank situated in the bottom of a
pit some twelve feet long by eight in width, into which water is
always running. The tank is filled from the mouth of a tortoise
which seems to be climbing over its edge. Into this running
water the women introduce these shavings by placing them in
ladles with cylindrical bamboo bowls and handles of great length.
When once these shavings are free and are immersed in the
water, the mothers seem perfectly satisfied ; they watch them with
the utmost complacency for a few brief moments and return home
happy, having, as they think, done all that they can for the little
departed ones.
There is a particular kind of gateway called torii, which
stands in front of all Shinto, and many Buddhist, temples, which
consists of two uprights, a cross-piece on the top, and a tie-beam.
Here at Osaka there are hundreds in the grounds of one temple
(Fig. 39). They are all painted red, as the temple is dedicated
to the Fox, and arranged in groups without order. In one group
I counted a hundred of these curious structures. From this
temple, which, like so many in Japan, is on high ground, a view

140

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

of the town, surrounding country, and bay can be got, which, under
the effects of sunset as I saw it, was most splendid and charming.
At 8.30 we leave for Kioto, where we find two long rows of
policemen guarding the exit from the railway station, each with

Fig. 39.— Temple in Osaka. Showing a few ofthe Torri in the Temple Grounds.
Here the Fox is worshipped as the God of Agriculture.

a paper lantern. The first one, reading from a scroll of paper,
calls each of my escort by name. The Governor of Osaka has
communicated our coming lest any of the party should be arrested
as Satsuma men.
I now begin to wonder whether I have been exposed to
danger during my journeyings, and whether the police escort
which has accompanied us from town to town has been needed
for our safety. Thus far I had looked on them as rather an
obtrusive adjunct to the party, but after all it may be regard for
my safety which has induced the authorities to act as they have
done. I take up my quarters at a tea-house called Nakamura,
on the plain, thus saving the fatiguing ascent to the Mariyama
hotel on the hill.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 141

CHAPTER VI.
Temple of Kioto — Japanese estimate of Christianity — Picnics — Honest workmanship —
Lacquer-work — Value of Corean ware — Tea-drinking ceremony — Otsu — Futami-
gaura — Kamiji-yama.
To see the Kioto temples in the most cursory manner ten
days at least, I am told, would be needed. We first visit a
temple called Kiyomidsu, beautifully situated above the Mariyama
hotel. It is one of the thirty-three temples of which we have
already spoken. Leaving the temple, we proceed along the hill
to a Buddhist cemetery — Nishi-otani. All the tombs, which are
very closely packed together, are pyramids of stones, the only
variation in any being that the top stone of the pile is some
times a mere cube with a domed top, sometimes a cube with a
square mushroom-like cap, and sometimes a cube with panelled
sides. I am told that poor persons when dead are placed in a box
in a sitting posture, and are carried to the grave in a kago, while
the rich lie in a coffin and are dragged in a kind of horse-car. A
person here in Japan can be buried wherever he pleases — in a
field, by a roadside, or under a tree ; all that is needed being
that he purchase the ground for his sepulture. A site command
ing a lovely prospect is generally preferred.
We now come to the gateway of Otani, a beautiful object,
and thence to a temple in which is the head and shoulders of an
enormous Dai-butz, formed of planks of wood. These planks
are covered with gold paper, but as every join in the wood is
visible, the whole effect is so coarse as to be almost horrid.

1 42 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
After this we saw the Corean " ear monument " (Fig. 40),
which in form almost exactly resembles the monuments of Koya-
zan. When the Japanese went to battle in former days, it was
customary for them to bring back the heads of
the slain as trophies ; it was, however, found too
great a task to bring back the heads of those slain
at the conquest of Corea, hence the ears only were
secured as trophies. After these had been ex
hibited in Japan, they were buried in a mound, on

xSZIimnL t^ie toP °^ wn'cn tn's monument stands.
Next we see the Sanji-sanken-do or temple of
thirty-three divisions. This temple is one hundred
Fig. 40. — Corean j
"Ear monu- and two yards in length, is divided into thirty-
MENT." three spaces by pillars, hence its name, and is
absolutely filled with life-size figures. It is popularly believed
that there are in this temple thirty-three thousand three hundred
and thirty-three idols, but in reality there are only a thousand
and one. Some of the idols, however, have forty hands ; others
have nimbi on which small figures occur, and some are sheltered
by canopies crowded with little deities. Hence it is supposed,
although erroneously, that the larger number is reached.
These figures are arranged in straight rows on a gradually
rising gallery, and all face one of the long sides of the temple.
These lines are, however, broken in the centre by a Dai-butz, and
twenty-eight figures, which are of special interest, as they are a
thousand years old, and were brought from Nara. In front of
these stands an idol with a nimbus and a vesica piscis on which
are a thousand small gods, each with a nimbus. There is also a
popular belief that the ridge of this temple-roof is formed of one
piece of wood (willow), and that the whole of the idols contained
in it, save those from Nara, were made from branches of the same
tree. We now saw the largest pagoda in Japan, the Tozi-no-to, or
that connected with the temple of Toki. It is of splendid pro
portions, but is without any of that rich carving which we observed
on the pagoda at Osaka.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 143
At the temple of Tdzi we see people, both old and young,
with slips of split bamboo on which the name of the temple is
written, running round one of the temple buildings, and throwing

Fig. 41. — Kast Gateway of the Temple, Nishi-hongwan-ji, Kioto.
a stick in a box each time they get round to it. I understand
that this is considered to confer some religious advantage upon
the performers. The gateways of the temple Nishi-hongwan-ji are as beautiful
as the temple to which they lead, and that is saying much (Figs.
41, 42, 43, and 44). Here we are received by a priest who speaks
English well, and who shows us through the main building, the
many rooms connected with the temple, the garden, and a house
in which a peculiar " tea ceremony " takes place.
From the priest I learnt a fact of peculiar interest. After the
revolution of 1868 the newly -formed Government adopted, to
a certain extent, both European manners and customs, and set

144

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

itself to establish manufactures on a European basis. Filled
with a desire to utilise for their own good the experiences of other
nations, they serious
ly considered whether
European progress
was not traceable to
the influence of the
Christian religion
upon the people, and
whether they should
not adopt the Chris
tian faith, together
with a European
civilisation. With the
view of studying
Christianity and re
porting on it, the high
priest of Nishi-hong
wan-ji, and priest
Akamatz, who has
been our guide around
this beautiful edifice,
were sent to England ;
and with that object
remained in London
for eighteen months.
In sending these particular priests the Government had a motive,
for they belong to the most spiritual of all the Buddhist sects, — a
sect which has no idols, and allows the priests to marry ; but after
their sojourn in London they reported that as a civilising agent
Christianity was inferior to the religion which they themselves
professed, and that in our Christian country crime, vice, and
drunkenness were much more common than in their country, where
Shinto and Buddhism prevails.
The next temple that we visit, that of Chion-in, is a mag
nificent structure, built by the most celebrated carpenter (builder)

Fig. 42.-

-Door, or Gate, in the East Gateway of the
Temple, Nishi-hongwan-ji, Kioto.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 145
that Japan ever knew, and a man who is idolised by the craft of

Fig. 43. — Carved Panel in East Gateway of the Temple, Nishi-hongwan-ji, Kioto.
the present day. The at
tention of the visitor is
here directed to a portion
of an umbrella which is
visible in the roof. This
was the umbrella of the
carpenter -builder, and it
is said that he left it
there, in order that a
part of his belongings, as
well as his work, should
remain to posterity.
In a building connected
with this temple is the
largest bell in Japan. It is
nine and a half feet in di
ameter at the mouth, eleven
inches thick at the rim, and
Fig. 44.-D.TAILS of East Gateway of the Temple, sJxteen feet in height.
Nishi-hongwan-ji, Kioto. .j*.^. *,*-*-** v- ^

146

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

The other temples which we visited are of less interest than
those already seen, and there is a sameness about them which
renders any description unnecessary ; but during our rambles we
see several with the yellow walls and five white lines, which indicate
that the high priest of the temple is of royal blood (Fig. 45).
Here I may notice, that none
of the children ofthe Mikado,
save the eldest, who is to
succeed to the throne, can
marry ; the boys must be
priests and the girls nuns.
My Japanese companions
now arranged that I should
see in the large room of the
hotel a dance peculiar to
Kioto, in which the costumes
are those of the characters
personated. To me this
dance is strange rather than
beautiful, and I am not suffi
ciently familiar with the
represented to
catch the meaning of the
representations. This combination of dancing and acting, in
which the motions are slow, gentle, and graceful, had its origin
seven hundred years back, and is much appreciated by the
Japanese. The weather is now so warm that people are beginning to
talk of picnics ; but unfortunately the picnic season has not yet
arrived. The favourite excursion for the merry-making people
of Kioto, during the time of the cherry blossoming, is to Arashi-
yama, a hill famous for its cherry-trees. As at Killarney you
buy objects of arbutus wood, and at Jerusalem trinkets formed of
olive stems, so at Kioto you buy boxes formed of cherry wood.
Each of these objects is inscribed with the name of the hill on
which the cherry-tree has grown,

Fig. 45. — Wall 'In Kioto. The five parallel white
lines indicate that the building belongs to a person characters
of royal blood.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 147
Picnicing is much enjoyed by the Japanese, and some of their
richest art and most careful workmanship is expended in the
production of cases, boxes, and various contrivances, in which they
carry their picnic to the country. Some of these contain vessels
of the most minutely figured lacquer-work, bottles formed of silver
inlaid with golden sprays, and sachi cups perfectly delicious in
character. On the ninth day of January (old Calendar) the Japanese go
out and gather seven kinds of grass, taking their picnic with them ;
each person carries his own picnic-case, while most have a separate
supply of sachi in a bottle-gourd slung over the shoulder on a
hedge stick. The grasses are taken home, boiled, mixed with
rice, and eaten as a salad.
I have already engaged the best photographer in Kioto to
make photographs of architectural details and rare objects, and I
now engage the best decorative artist in the city to make coloured
drawings of temple decorations as I am anxious to get all the
examples of true Japanese art that I can.1
The next days we spent in visiting potters, metal-workers,
and manufacturers, and in searching the curio shops for treasures ;
but on the 28th we arranged to visit certain celebrated temples
ten miles distant from our present home. On our road we called
first at a Shinto temple, which has a huge dragon in full relief
pendent from the ceiling of its band stand ;2 next at a temple
where there is a covered bridge resembling those at Lucerne s
(Fig. 46). Here in the main building (Butsu-den) are three
figures, the central being a Dai-butz sitting on a lily. The
figure, measuring fifty feet in height without the base, has a nim
bus, and a vesica piscis of vast dimensions. Both the temples
and the gods are six hundred years old. Next we see a Buddhist
temple at Uji4 (Fig. 47) founded by a priest who came from Ingen,
1 Accompanying the drawings which I ultimately received from this latter artist was
a coloured model of a complicated bracket of which I wished to have a drawing. To my
question why this model was made, the answer came that — owing to his imperfect know
ledge of perspective he could not draw this elaborate work, and that he had consequently
made a model instead (see Fig. 72). 2 This is the temple Takinoo-no-yashiro.
3 This is Hodo of Tofuku-ji (Fig. 46). 4 This is Obakuzan Manpuku-ji.

143

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 46.— Wall of the Temple Tofuku-ji,
Kioto. Formed of wood, with bracketed
structure, and plaster.

in the district of Annan (now Saigon), and who brought over forty
of the columns with him. In the courtyard of this temple are
immense stacks of blocks, used
for printing the Buddhist scrip
tures ; they are tied together in
bundles of ten, and there must
be many thousands of them,
Crossing a river which flows
from Biwa Lake, and the sur
roundings of which are highly
picturesque, we enter a charming
tea-house in which the empress
stayed a week or two since, when
on her way to Kioto from Nara.
We are now at the village of Uji,
on the highroad from Nara to Kioto, and the tea-house where we rest
is the Kiku-ya (Kiku = Chrysanthemum ; Ya = house). At Uji
the best tea in
Japan is grown
(Fig. 48 gives
part of a tea-
making estab
lishment), and
nearly every
house here is
engaged in the
tea industry.
Here also are
sold netsukies,
tea scoops, and
other trifles,
formed of the
hard and close-
grained wood of the tea plant. As art works there is little merit
in these productions, for they are made to gratify excursionists
rather than to please true lovers of art.

Fig. 47. — Interior of Roof of Obaku Temple.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 149
After luncheon we go to see one more temple which stands
on piles, or supports, rising out of water. At the first glance it
appears Indian in style, but upon closer observation its constructive

Fig. 48. — Tea Manufactory at Uji, near Kioto.
details are all seen to be Japanese. This temple is no longer
used, and neglect and decay are doing their terrible work. This
is the more to be regretted as it has been one of the most
splendid temples in Japan. The key which the priest brings to
open the building for our inspection is so remarkable as to deserve
description. Its handle is a rod of wood an inch and a half
in diameter and two feet in length, while the lower portion is
a mere bent piece of iron about half an inch square. This
key is inserted through a hole in the door of about two inches
in diameter, the bent metal portion being introduced first and
then a portion of the handle. The priest now feels about with
this colossal key till he has found a slot in a large wooden bolt ;
this being caught the bolt is thrown up by an effort and the door
opened (Fig. 49).
This temple is eight hundred and eighteen years old, and
most of the internal decorations which remain are as pure in style

So

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

as the ornament found on the old felts at Nara, and are Indian in
character. The building must have been of extraordinary beauty
when first erected, for all the structural members of the roof are
elaborately inlaid with pearl, and a piece which has dropped from
the ceiling shows that the inlaying has
been of a most finished character. Be
tween the structural members the ceiling
is painted with flat ornament, rich in
design and beautiful in colour, while a
stand on which a Dai-butz rests is as
elaborately inlaid as if it were intended
for the most minute inspection. This
temple is the Howo-do (how5 = peacock
and peahen ; do = house). It is an in-
^ teresting fact that in these great temples
the work is all of the most honest and
exquisite description. Whether seen from
a distance or near it is all equally well
finished, and even those parts of a temple
which are never seen are as carefully
treated as those which are always visible.
Upon my return to Kioto I find an
elaborate English dinner prepared at the
hotel where I am staying and that I am
the guest of Ju-Goi Kawase Hideharu;
but Shio-Rokui Makimura Masanao, the
Governor of Kioto, and two other officials
are also present, as well as my Japanese
friends Ishida and Sakata.
Ju-Goi is a title conferred by the Mikado, and Mr. Kawase is
the " large secretary " of the interior department as well as the
head of the board of commerce. He is here in Kioto with the
Mikado and his ministers, but will leave in a day or two for
Nagasaki. Mr. Machida, who opened for us the treasury at Nara,
is also a Ju-Goi (Ju = wise ; Goi = fifth) and is a large secretary
of the interior department, as well as head of the imperial museum.

Fig. 49.— Inside of Entrance-
door of Isuridons, Uji, near
Kioto. The end of the key
is seen protruding through the
door and feeling for the slot in
the bolt. Leaning on the floor
and the bottom bar of the door
is a padlock ; its key being on
the floor.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 151
Both of these gentlemen are under Mr. Okubo, the minister of the
interior, who is a Ju-Sanmi (Ju = wise ; Sanmi = third) and a
" first-class '' officer ; while the two other gentlemen, as well as the
Governor of Kioto, are each " fourth-class " officers.
Secretaries in Government departments are ranked as large
secretary, sub-large secretary, small secretary, and sub- small
secretary. We have a pleasant evening and a long chat on the
commerce and industries of Japan.
In the morning the chief manufacturers of Kioto meet at the
" House of Commerce," where I am received by the Governor and
Mr. Kawase. After some time spent in considering the works
offered for my inspection by the manufacturers, I was welcomed
to an elaborate luncheon. This over, I examined the works of
several artists, certain kinds of lacquer ware, sachi cups formed of
orange rinds, and many fabrics ; and in a building close by I saw
looms weaving figured silks, rich damasks, and cloths of various
descriptions. Here on the top of each native loom a boy is perched, who is
the prototype of our "Jacquard apparatus," and who, gathering
together threads, raises them so that the weaver, by passing the
shuttle beneath them, gives figure to the fabric. Up to the time
of Jacquard we employed the same method of giving pattern to
our fabrics that I here see before me, and the lad who thus con
trolled the pattern was called the " draw boy." This method of
weaving, it must be remembered, is in advance of the more primi
tive way of working each weft thread across the warp by dipping
it under or passing it over certain threads as necessary.
By the agency of the " draw boy " Japan is producing in the
looms which I now inspect some of the most artistic fabrics that
the world makes ; and were it not that the Lyons weavers can
imitate some of these fabrics when once they have the pattern
before them, and produce them at a much lower price than the
Japanese can, those now being woven would be highly saleable in
European countries. There is, however, another drawback to these
beautiful fabrics of Japan becoming popular in Europe, for while
most of them contain gold the thread with which it is woven

152 JAPAN: ITS AR CHITE CTURE,
is far from durable, as it is a strip of gilt paper, and not a string
of metal. This want of durability has created a prejudice against
these Japanese fabrics which it will take a little time to overcome.
Side by side with the primitive looms which we have just
noticed I see the finest of French machinery producing silk
brocades, and the newest of card-stamping machines for supply
ing the jacquard of this newest of looms with its cards ; but
curiously, the silks woven by the new French machinery bear
patterns of a bad European style, such as could not now be shown
in our markets ; while those produced in the native looms are
highly artistic.
At five o'clock I bid adieu to Mr. Kawase and Mr. Makimura,
but before doing so, promise to meet the former at the Mikado's
museum at nine o'clock to-morrow morning.
Close by the House of Commerce are a number of covered
booths and a large hall, in which specimens of the manufactures
of the district are arranged, with the name of the maker of each
specimen attached. To me, as a stranger, this display is of the
highest possible interest, and here I soon discover objects
unknown to European commerce. Here I see for the first time
a specimen of Japanese translucent enamel. This beautiful ware
is now common in our markets ; but its introduction was due to
my bringing with me the specimen which I saw here displayed
with the other manufactures of Kioto.
To me the idea of collecting together all the manufactures of
a district, and attaching to each specimen the name of the maker,
seems one which might well be adopted in England. Surely
business might be increased by the foreign merchant seeing speci
mens of all our manufactures, and learning where he could get
whatever he needed, without the long and laborious process of
visiting all the manufactories in a district. A hall of this kind
might be provided in Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Brad
ford, Stoke -upon -Trent, and other large manufacturing towns;
while in London a central hall might be arranged for the display
of the chief manufactures of the country. Here merchants and
shippers would see at a glance where the particular wares which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 153
they sought could be obtained ; and if neither the State nor the
Municipality would bear the cost of the necessary buildings, a
trifling rental for space would suffice to meet all necessary charges.
With the display of the manufactures of Kioto I am much
pleased, and from it I gather an amount of information, which, but
for the collective exhibition it would take weeks to accumulate.
That it does the district good is certain. On translucent enamels
alone, some thousands of pounds of European money have been
spent in Japan, which would not have gone there had I not seen
the one specimen amidst the articles of Kioto manufacture.
There is another curious fact connected with the open air
part of this display. Here are boards bearing addresses printed
in large letters. The people are requested to produce excellent
works, as the position of a nation is greatly dependent upon the
character of its manufactures, and upon the nature of the work
produced by each of its handicraftsmen.
In the evening I' noticed fires in beacon-pans, arranged out
side a Shinto temple, of which it is the feast-day ; and I was told
that this practice of burning fire is an ancient one.
The next morning I go to the museum to meet Mr. Kawase;
but the Governor of Kioto is also there to receive us. The
museum is not a place open to the public, but a royal palace
containing a large collection of antiquities belonging to the
Mikado, and prepared for his inspection, as he is now here on a
visit. In interest the objects here collected are second only to
those preserved at Nara. I have thus the opportunity of in
specting and handling a second large collection of Japanese an
tiquities, such as even the natives themselves do not know. It
is intended, however, to exhibit these treasures to the public at
some future time, and a building is now being prepared for their
reception. In this collection, nothing pleases me more than the various
specimens of lacquer-work, as these illustrate the state of the
manufacture in various ages, and bear authentic dates. The
curator of the collection tells me that the finest gold lacquer,
as regards workmanship, was made during a period of two hundred

154 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
years, beginning about three centuries since ; but that the most
artistic work was done prior to this time. In olden times the
lacquer -worker and the artist were separate individuals — the
lacquer -worker making the box, or tray, or bowl, and giving
to it its beautiful surface, while the artist painted upon it such
decoration as might be required. At this period the drawing was
"touchy" and clever, but lacked that finish which characterises
the best work of later times. About three hundred years ago,
however, the artist and the lacquer-worker became one, and then
was produced work of the highest mechanical excellence.
Ranged side by side, we have specimens of lacquer-work over
five hundred years old, which are of a peculiarly artistic and
interesting character, others four hundred, others three hundred,
and specimens made only immediately before the revolution in
1868. Those that are five hundred years old, or more, are chiefly
works with black grounds, and low -toned polychromatic orna
ments in dull red, burnt sienna, raw sienna, and sage green
colours ; and with a " broken " gold outline.
After carefully considering these works for some time I find it
possible readily to distinguish between lacquer-work of certain
great periods. Thus that which we may call modern (being less
than one hundred years old) is easily distinguishable from that
belonging to the middle period (which ranged from one to three
hundred years since), while this again is separated by obvious
characteristics from that which is older ; and even between that
made four hundred years back and that of five hundred years
since there is a manifest difference.
In this collection there is a specimen of what is called vellum
lacquer — a lacquer having the colour of parchment ; — but the art
of producing this particular lacquer has long been lost. I also
hear that a violet lacquer was once produced in Japan, but that
the secret of its manufacture is now unknown.
Since my return from Japan I have given much thought to
the lacquer industries, and I have been enabled to send out
material which has again brought about the production of purple
lacquer ; thus a lost art has been revived.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

'55

Here are fine specimens of an object which closely resembles
in character the " monstrance " of the Roman Catholic Church
(Figs. 50 and 5 1). One of these contains the tooth of a bishop,

I

'mm

m

1

sip -~"j^fi

Fig. 50. — Buddhist Monstrance. This was presented to a temple in Japan by Prince Mamayado,
the son of a Chinese emperor, in the year a.d. 622. The name Mamayado means " door of a
stable," as this prince was born in a stable. A shows the side view of the upper part.

while in another are small metallic lumps found in the ashes of a
cremated priest. The superstitious believe that if the man has
been wise there will be many such lumps found when his body is
burnt, and if not that there will be but few. The monstrance is
in some cases formed almost entirely of gold, and is of exquisite

iS6

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

design and workmanship (and of these gold objects there are fine
specimens in the museum), and their parts have a symbolical
significance from which much may be learned ; but of this I shall
treat hereafter.
Here is an ink slab resting on a massive stand of pale blue
glass which I am assured is of Japanese manufacture and is one
hundred years old ; but the most
interesting part of the collection is
found in a small room, where dresses,
a rude crown, a pair of top-boots
formed of felt, and a few other things,
which were brought by the great
General Taiko from Corea, when he
re-conquered that country about three
hundred years since, are collected.
Of dresses there are in this col
lection about twelve, some of which
are formed of brocaded silk, while
others are made of embroidered ma
terials. One or two of these I should
certainly regard as Chinese, while one
is of a character which I have hitherto
regarded as purely Japanese, the fabric
being hard and appearing to consist
of parts joined together. The pattern
on this latter dress is large and bold,
Fig. 5..-BUDdh,st Monstrance. ^ cons;sts chiefly of dragons and
clouds. Whether these dresses were manufactured in Corea we do
not know ; but under any circumstances they are of great interest;
and it is certain that Japan received many of its manufactures
from Corea, while some Japanese are of opinion- that the Coreans
also furnished the Chinese with most of their arts. There are
boots formed of felt, as I have just said, and several squares
of figured felt, such as I saw at Nara. One of the dresses has
gold threads woven into it, like many modern Japanese fabrics,
and this gold consists of gilt paper, while the pattern is of scrolls

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 157
and anthemions such as now form the " figure " of many native
fabrics. From this collection I went to see the process of printing
crapes, and with what I saw was much interested ; but as I shall
have to describe this process hereafter, I can only now mention
the fact of my seeing it.
The curio shops in Kioto deal almost exclusively in Chinese
objects and Corean wares, but for these they ask such prices that
I could purchase nothing. A small Corean cup is said to be
worth two hundred dollars, while for an inlaid bronze vase of
Chinese manufacture no less a sum than six hundred pounds is
demanded. But what astonishes me most is the price of a little
teapot of dark red earth, in which are small specks of yellow-ochre
colour. The specimen shown me has a fractured handle, hence I
may have it for four hundred shillings, while if it were perfect it
could not be sold for less than four times this sum. Specimens
having the yellow specks somewhat larger are worth about six
pounds each, the latter being an imitation of the former ; but the
secret of production has been known to but one man in each case.
In the evening I went by invitation of the Governor of Kioto
to a temple garden, in order to see what is called the "tea-service"
or " tea-ceremony " — the cha-no-yu, which the Governor has had
prepared in a building set apart for this purpose. I saw, however,
only that part of the service peculiar to the hours five and six
o'clock. In connexion with every large temple there is a small
house appropriated to the performance of this ceremony, and any
one can engage the house for this purpose. A similar house is
attached to every large residence or yashiki.
Here, as I saw it, and as it is performed at the temples, a
paid professor of etiquette is the host ; but if friends are invited
by a man of high rank, he himself performs the part which the
professor now takes. Only four guests besides the master should
be present. The room in which the service is held is small, its floor
being covered by four and a half mats (each mat is six feet by
three). The house is entered by a hole or window opening, two
feet square, which, although level with the floor of the room, is

1 58 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
about sixteen inches above the outer ground. Properly enacted,
the service, my host tells me, begins at seven in the morning,
and is continued till one o'clock in the following night.
The great peculiarity of this tea-drinking ceremony consists
in the exactness with which everything is done. A spoon, cup,
ladle, or whatever is handled, has to be taken hold of in a
particular way, set down in a particular place, and touched in a
particular part ; and everything is done with the same strange
precision. What I saw was part of the ceremony of " thin tea-drinking,"
and part of the ceremony of "thick tea-drinking ;" but the whole
is simply a lesson in those laws of politeness, which were formerly
so rigidly exacted in every mansion and on every state occasion,
and which are still largely kept up in the houses of the old
aristocracy. Originally the ceremony was of a secret character,
and no servant entered the house in which it took place — the
master kindling the fire, boiling the water, making the tea, and, in
short, doing everything for the guests ; but in later years it has
become a mere ceremony of an extremely fashionable character.
One or two things in this service struck me as especially
strange. Thus, both host and guests knelt from the time they
entered the building till the time they left it ; and even when
the master had to go to a little back room to fetch water, cups,
or whatever he might require, he shuffled on his knees to the slide
which served as a door, and then, having opened it, shuffled
through the opening till he was well on the other side, when he
rose to his feet ; but this he must not do while in the presence of
the guests. The chief guest, moreover, is the spokesman for the
company, and no word is uttered save by the chief guest or the
host during the service, be it ever so long. The chief guest also
demands everything : thus he asks for tea, and for refreshments ;
but the particular moment at which each request has to be made
is arranged by the code of etiquette. At opportune moments the
chief guest also asks if he may look at the tea-caddy, a spoon,
a bowl, or the teapot. Receiving the necessary permission, he
shuffles on his knees to the place where the object demanded

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 159
is, takes it, bows his forehead to the ground, then rising, touches
his forehead with the object received, and begins to examine it.
Looking at the teapot, he asks if it is silver, then who made it ;
then opening it and smelling the tea, what the tea costs per
pound ; after which inquiries he passes it to the next guest and
makes a remark to the host which should, if possible, be at the
same time a compliment and a pun. After each of the guests
has duly inspected the object, the chief guest shuffles again across
the floor and returns it to its place. Object after object is
brought, examined, and returned in the same manner.
It is on these occasions that the rare things of the household
are used ; and the pride which a Japanese manifests in the
possession of some little tea jar, a spoon, or a cup by a celebrated
maker is something remarkable. But many of the things most
esteemed by the Japanese would be unappreciated in Europe.
One little tea-box is put in a silk bag, and then in a box, and
then in another bag, and then in another box, in order that it be
preserved ; and I have seen little rough stone-ware jars encased
in a similar manner.
The two hours which I spent in observing the ceremony cha-
no-yu, were passed in the host making, and our sipping certain
kinds of tea. One decoction, as thick as gruel, and as bitter
as soot, is formed of tea-leaves reduced to the finest powder, and
mixed into this batter-like condition. This is served as a loving
cup, all drinking from the same vessel ; in this case, politeness
demands that each guest offer the cup to his neighbour in such
a manner that he shall naturally drink from a different part of its
edge. I learnt afterwards from Mr. Sakata that at these meetings
private matters are often discussed and secret plots concocted,
and that most of the revolutions of Japan have been planned at
these secret gatherings.
In the way of manufactures, I have seen in Kioto the making
of much pottery, bronze-work, lacquer, and cloisonne' on porcelain. I
have also seen the weaving of fabrics, the printing of crapes, the
working of embroidery, and many other industries ; and I am now

160 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
getting a considerable insight into the means by which the
Japanese achieve results. Having spent as much time as I can
spare for one town, we pack up and start for Otsu on Lake Biwa.
Our road is over the hills at the back of the hotel, and here
we see several small potteries in which a kind of Awata ware is
made. In half an hour we reach a point at which an already
good road is being improved, and here we have to walk while our
jinrikishas are carried, for although we could ride with ease, and
although horses and oxen are passing with their burdens, a notice
saying that " carriages are not allowed to pass here " must be
obeyed. We are soon, however, on a normal road which, at the end of
four miles crosses an elevation and then commands a view of
beautiful Lake Biwa — a sheet of water which reminds me of the
Lake of Geneva. At this season the mountains surrounding it are
all snow-clad. After a journey of seven and a half miles, we reach the little
town of Otsu, the only manufacture of which is, I am told, silver
teapots. From this place we make an excursion of some two
miles to a temple, from where a charming view of the lake is
obtained, and here I may mention that eight celebrated views of
Lake Biwa are counted by Japanese, of which this is one.
From this temple, perched high on a hill, this end of the lake
appears to be about three miles in width, and in the clear atmo
sphere I can just see the snow-clad mountains at the other end.
Although we had intended to take up our abode for the night
at Otsu, the weather is so fine and the air so bracing that we
continue our journey to the town of Ishib, twenty-two miles from
Kioto. Soon after we resume our journey we reach a village in
which every one seems to be occupied in the manufacture of such
silk cords as they attach to fans, tie around lacquer boxes, etc.
About three miles farther on is a small town named Kusatsu,
where scarcely anything is sold but bottle gourds.
A bottle gourd is simply the indurated skin of a fruit allied to
our cucumber and melon, but having an hour-glass shape. Such
vessels are generally called pilgrims' bottles. The usual colour

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 161
of these gourds is a dark rich brown, but here are some which
are yellow mottled with black ; others orange mottled in the
same manner, while some are almost red. Of these gourds I got
samples. We now re-enter our vehicles. Our coolies run well, and
the evening is most pleasant ; but suddenly there is a jerk and
a crash, and I am on the roadside. One side of my jinrikisha
is broken to pieces. A moment's investigation reveals the
cause of my little mishap : the linch-pin has come out of the
wheel, and the wheel has rolled yards in front of us. As I am not
hurt this little incident only causes amusement, and the poor
coolie whose jinrikisha is broken heartily joins in the laugh.
Arrived at Ishib, we take up our abode at a pretty little
Japanese hotel. Having brought a few European luxuries from
Kioto, and being as hungry as a hunter, I make a hearty meal of
Liebig's extract of meat, boiled eggs, bread, jam, and rice.
This hotel is in part furnished in European style, for it pos
sesses one chair ; but this unexpected furniture rather increases
than removes my difficulties. Occupying this one seat, while the
paper on which I wish to write is on the floor, or putting the
paper on the chair when I have nothing to sit upon, is far from
comfortable ; at last, however, I overcome the difficulty by sitting
upon a Japanese table (which is a small tray on legs of about
four inches in length) and writing on the wooden seat of the
European chair. While I write Mr. Sakata indulges in a cigarette,
which he tells me is one of a hundred that he bought in Kioto for
fourpence farthing. He also informs me that these cigarettes are
good ; but not being a smoker I can form no opinion of their
merits. March 7. — We rise at 6.40, and by 8.15 are on our road
for Kamiji-yama, in Ise, a town in which the great Shinto shrines
and universities are situated ; indeed, much of the province of Ise
is in some way connected with Shinto or, as we Europeans
express it, Shintoism.
The morning is fine, and for some distance the road is very
beautiful, snow-clad mountains being visible on either side. In
M

1 62 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
about five miles we reagh the village of Minakuchi, where
" vine baskets " are made. These are little baskets formed of the
shoots of the westeria creeper, but there is nothing of special
interest about them. I should rather have expected to find such
objects as I here see in the shops of Margate and Ramsgate than
in those of a Japanese town.
Crossing a ridge of mountains, and descending by many steep
zigzags into a beautiful valley, we soon leave the main road (the
great TSkaido), and turn to the right to run along the promontory
of Ise. The scenery now becomes less and less interesting ; but
in the distance before us, and across the bay of Owari, are high
ranges of mountains, while behind us are also snow-clad hills.
By 1.30 P.M. we have reached the small town of Saka-no-shita,
where we have luncheon, and here we lose an hour in changing
jinrikishas. Hundreds of soldiers are passing along the road in the
direction of Kioto, and the officers all drive. At last fresh vehicles
are found, but the men will only agree to take us four miles on
the road, hence a little later a further delay occurs, and another
hour is lost.
By 6 p.m. we have reached Tsu or Anotsu, the chief town
of the province of Ise, having come forty-four miles in the day.
During the latter part of our journey nothing very particular
has happened save the coming out of a linch-pin of Mr. Ishida's
carriage, when he broke the jinrikisha and rolled out, — an ex
perience precisely similar to mine of yesterday.
A cook was engaged at Kioto for this tour, but last night
when his services were first wanted it was discovered that he
could not cook. When Mr. Sakita gave me the sad news he
also brought the glad tidings that one of the jinrikisha-men (an
intelligent-looking person) " could boil eggs and make beefsteaks."
This is the very genius that we want, for beefsteaks are rarely to
be found ready made here in Japan. My luncheon to-day con
sisted of five boiled eggs, some rice and jam, and this is about
the best of food which I expect to have during most of my
journey; yet the glorious air makes me thoroughly enjoy my
meals. As for wine and spirits, I have neither seen nor tasted

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 163
them for over a month. The jinrikisha-man who can make beef
steaks is engaged to go with us to Tokio. To-day he was one
of two who pulled me twenty miles, then he ran twenty-four miles,
pushing up hills and looking after everything, and here he is as
fresh as a daisy.
In the evening Sakata presented me with a most interesting
relic, in the shape of a large curious knife, with bent damascened
metal handle and a curved blade. The crest, Fig. 52, consists of
four of these knives. This was used by ladies
in warfare, being thrown at the victim while still
attached to the owner by a chain. In the morning
we rise at seven and are soon on our way. In
two hours we reach the little town of Inaki, where
all the best paper-leather of Japan is made. As FlTG- 52 -Ceest °f a
r sr J r Japanese Prince.
here manufactured this material (which is formed
of a thick fibrous paper and an oxidisable oil) so closely resembles
certain kinds of leather — as morocco and calf — as to deceive a
European expert, while other specimens bear but a faint resem
blance to a tanned skin.
In Japan leather is sparingly used ; but this paper-leather is
most extensively employed where we should use the real hide.
The stout solid quality made at Inaki rarely, if ever, finds its way
into the European market. The paper-leather which comes into
our market is made chiefly in Tokio by Ise men who have gone
to that district to live ; but this is thin and fibrous and only
leather- like on one side, whereas that here made is stout and
leather-like on both sides. That of Tokio, however, is generally
stamped, while that of Inaki is generally plain.
At Matsusaka, which we next reach, many houses have been
burned down by insurrectionary farmers, who object to the
taxation with which they are burdened, and it is feared that they
may continue their work of destruction, for they have declared
that unless their taxes are lowered they will destroy every town
in the country.
In another hour we pass through a large village, the sole
manufacture of which is that of common flutes. Here we rest

1 64 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
for a few minutes ; and here, as a substitute for tea, we are offered
hot water in which pulverised red cabbage and salted plum have
been sprinkled, but so little of the flavouring material has been
added that I cannot distinguish any special flavour.
By 2.30 we have got to a charming little village on the sea
coast, called Futamigaura, where we have tiffin in one of the
most lovely houses that I have ever seen. Our room is clean
beyond the conception of even a Dutchman, has perforated
panels of great beauty over the sliding partitions, and is possessed
of an exquisitely beautiful bay window. I am in a room the like
of which I have never before seen ; and the balconies, gardens,
and entire belongings of the hotel are as lovely as the room in
which we sit.
While tiffin is being prepared we walk to the sea-shore, which
is about three hundred yards distant. Here in the sea are two
rocks about two or three hundred yards from the coast, the one
rising to the height of about fifty feet, the other about twenty feet.
These rocks are connected together by large straw ropes, from
which Shinto tufts are pendent ; and for hundreds of years they
have been so joined, — new ropes at times replacing the old
ones. At certain seasons of the year the sun is seen to rise
exactly between these two rocks, and under the Shinto bands
of straw. When the sun thus rises pilgrims come in numbers to worship
it, and even now, although this is not the proper time for pilgrim
age, I see one or two Japanese, with hands pressed together,
standing in devout adoration of the orb of day. On the shore
just opposite the rocks is a torii, or gateway, and a small dais on
which are hundreds of little earthen frogs and a number of small
coins (the coins are nearly all tenth parts of a half-penny). The
frogs are purchased from a priest who lives near at hand, and are
offered to the rising sun. I get some of these frogs, and drawings
of the sacred rocks, such as pilgrims buy in remembrance of
their journey to this sacred spot.
Here, under the Shinto symbol, we have the worship of the
sun, while in Kioto and Kobe pans of fire were being burned at

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 165
Shinto churches ; thus the fact that Shinto embraces fire worship
among its tenets is apparent.
On our way to the hotel we passed many booths erected for
the sale of shells, shell necklets, etc. These booths are situated
amidst pine-trees which reach from the near mountains almost to
the sea. After luncheon, we reached in one hour the prettiest and best
town, as regards the style and size of the houses, that I have yet
seen in Japan. But all the towns in Ise are very superior to any
that I have hitherto noticed, — even to those of Tokio or Kioto,
and this province appears to have more towns, and a greater
population, than most of the provinces of Japan.
This town, called Furuichi (old market), we pass through
(yet it has temples and shrines of great moment), and go on to
Kamiji-yama, a town in which the Holy of Holies of the Shinto
church, and the great Shinto university are situated.
Although as a town Kamiji-yama is not quite so interesting
as Furuichi, it is a prosperous and flourishing place.
My escort now select an hotel with which I am somewhat
dissatisfied, as we have passed many much more beautiful tea
houses. But my guide tells me that those houses which I regarded
as hotels are really places set apart for the performance of certain
dances peculiar to the town, — the amusement seems to be a
recompense for the fatigues of pilgrimage.
We soon reach the entrance of a sacred grove where we are
met by a priest and two laymen who are to be our conductors
to the holy places ; but we are at once told that no one can go
within the temple enclosure unless sent as a messenger from the
Mikado to pray for his people. We enter the magnificent grove
of trees, or rather the broad well-kept pathway which leads
through a small dense forest of immense cryptomerias. Here is
a tree which actually measures twelve feet in diameter (thirty-
six feet in circumference) at six feet from the ground. On our
right is a river two-thirds the width of the Thames at Cookham,
and with a bank which at the other side reminds me of Cliefden.
To this river a way is made, broad and with steps. Here we are

1 66 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
told by the priest to wash, as no one can approach the sacred
shrines unless he has here performed his ablutions. We go to
the water, and after rinsing our hands are ordered to wash the
mouth. To do this, we have to lade water from the river by the
hand as a ladle. This done, we go up the lovely avenue.
It is five o'clock ; the rays of the sun pass brightly through
the trees, and tip the distant hills with glory. The air is balmy
and soft, and the sky is blue and bright. We soon reach a gate
way ; simple yet beautiful, formed of pure clean pine-wood and
raised, on two steps ; but while the gates are open, the opening
is closed by a large white curtain cut in the manner of Shinto.
On the steps are hundreds of small coins and papers in which
money is wrapped.
We make our offering to the temple, and as it is a little
larger than that made by most of the Japanese, the priest draws
the curtain aside in order that we may look into the enclosure
behind, but I see only closed pine-wood gates with strong brass
bindings. We are now standing in front of a series of buildings of the
greatest possible interest ; and few shrines in the world have en
joyed an unbroken celebrity equal with that of the temple before us.
Every building in this enclosure has been absolutely razed to the
ground every twenty-one years for more than eighteen centuries.
Built eighteen hundred and eighty-one years since, they have been
completely destroyed and rebuilt and destroyed and rebuilt during
this period, but every block and every pillar in the present
building is the exact counterpart of those in the building erected
eighteen hundred and eighty-one years since — this destroying and
rebuilding securing a perpetual youth to the shrine (Fig. 53).
The great symbol of Shinto is a mirror ; for, just as a mirror
reflects our image, so, symbolically, Shinto is considered to reveal
our innermost actions, or to reveal our innermost heart. I am told
that in the central buildings within the enclosure, at the entrance
of which we stand, is preserved a mirror sent down from heaven
in order that man might therein see himself, and that the god
worshipped at this great shrine is the first man — the Japanese

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

.6?

Adam. But the educated classes now think that this so-called
" first man " was either a Chinese or a Mongolian.
We now walk to the side of the temple enclosure and from

Fig. 53. — The Sacred Shinto Shrine of Kamiji-yama in Ise.
slightly elevated ground get some idea of the nature of the
buildings, and of the railings, or walls, by which they are enclosed.
The temple or shrines are
enclosed by four courts, one
within the other, the outer
being bounded by a wooden
fence, or wall, about ten feet in
height, and consisting chiefly
of horizontal planks of wood
(Fig. 54), but the others I fail
to see from my present position.
Yonder, however, is a high
mound of earth, and for this I
immediately make. Here I see
that the second fence is of a very open construction, consisting of
alternate short and long circular uprights, with two horizontal
members connecting them (Fig. 55) ; that the third is more like
our ordinary wooden fence, consisting of square uprights, with two

^'"?

/"V

lv:

1
li

L_ _ U

1
!
II
 Ij
1
1
1
1 .1
1 — u
Fig. 54.— Outer Wall or Fence of the Great
Shinto Shrine.
i68

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

horizontal members to which square -topped staves are nailed
(Fig. 5 6) ; while the fourth, and last consists of uprights and staves
closely juxtaposed, the tops being somewhat narrowed, and thus

= , — i S —

Fig. 55. — Second Fence at the Great
Shinto Shrine.

Fig. 56.-

-Third Fence at the Great
Shinto Shrine.

slightly separated (Fig. 5 7). These fences are all formed of clean
pine-wood, having neither paint nor lacquer upon them.
From our vantage ground we can see five buildings ; three,
of which the centre one is largest, being arranged in a row at the
back of the inner court, while the

other two stand in front of the
central and larger building, and
are connected by a sort of covered
way. The two latter buildings
are entirely separate from the
other three, the innermost of the
two being situated at the bound
ary of the inner court. All
alike have thatched roofs with
the chief supporting members
continued through in a curious
manner ; while on the ridge rests
a series of spindle -like bodies.
These I am told indicate the rank of a Shinto temple. It is in
the central building at the back of the court that the mirror sent
down from heaven is preserved. This building, at a height of

Fig. 57. — Fourth or Inner Fence at the
Great Shinto Shrine. This encloses the
central court, at the end of which stands the
building containing the mirror sent down from
heaven.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 169
about five feet from the ground, is surrounded by a covered
balcony, approached by a central staircase.
To a large portion of the Japanese these buildings are the
most sacred and the most interesting of any in the world.
Shinto was the religion of old Japan, and it has always been the
religion of the Mikado, while now it is once again the declared
national religion of the country. To this shrine for nearly two
thousand years millions have made pilgrimages ; and in this un
interrupted succession of its glory there is something singularly
impressive. Having left the sacred grove we walk through a bazaar
consisting of booths arranged under overhanging trees, where all
sorts of trifles are offered for sale. Here touting is carried on
to an extent new to my Japanese experience. We are in a very
Babel, where eloquence is lavishly expended on every visitor, with
the view of inducing him to buy what is here offered for sale.
But while all press their wares upon us, none are rude or offensive
in their manner. Amongst other small purchases I bought a
carving of the god Daikoku, so small that it is enclosed in the
husk of one grain of rice. In another husk I bought the two
gods Daikoku and Yebisu sitting side by side. When seen through
a magnifying glass they are almost as perfect as a pair of the
gods an inch and a half in height which I also procured.
After dinner we sallied forth to see one of the dances for
which Kamiji-yama is celebrated, and soon reached the dancing-
house. We here enter a large room almost square ; but around
three of its sides there is a sort of passage, although not cut off
from the room, for here the roof is much lower than in the
centre, and columns which support it divide this part, more or less,
from the centre of the room. The walls are hung with vertical
strips of white, red, light blue, dark blue, and green cotton cloth,
each strip being about ten inches wide, while it is margined above
by a white calico frieze of the same width as the coloured strips,
and bearing a crest of the form of a cart-wheel. A long carpet
crosses that end of the room where there is no passage-like space,
and upon this we are asked to sit, while running throughout the

170 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
length of the central portion of the room at the right and left are
two long carpets, on each of which rest three girls who play
instruments and sing. Lanterns hang from the ceiling of the
passage-like space, and candles on tall candlesticks stand here and
there in the middle of the room. As the music and singing begin
the lanterns around commence to ascend, while the floor of this
passage-like part also rises to the height of about one foot above
its former level. This raised dais, which surrounds three sides of
the room, is instantly bordered by a low railing, but how that
railing got there, or how it got away when the dance was over,
I do not know, for it appeared both to come and to disappear
instantaneously. Before each of us as we sit, and placed on a little stand, is
a packet tied round with red string and bearing the little device
which symbolises that it is a present. We may here remark that
in Japan, every object which is intended as a gift is tied with
cord of a particular sort and furnished with a little piece of
coloured and folded paper, to which is attached a small dried
slice of the " ear fish." The packet placed in front of us as a
gift contains the words of the song ; but on each tray there is
also a pile of little cakes shaped like the wheel-like crest which
decorates the frieze around the room. The lanterns bear the
same device, and a little bridge over which we had to pass to
reach this dancing-room has a large half-wheel as the balcony.
The lanterns having been raised nearly to the ceiling, and
the platform with its marginal rail being in position, the dancers
enter almost behind us to the right and to the left, and march
slowly and solemnly till they meet in the centre of the aisle
facing us. The dancing consists almost exclusively of graceful
motions of the hands, the body only assuming a slight swing,
while the feet move but little if at all. This dance is of ancient
origin, and is not to be seen in any other town in the country.
After the dance has been continued for about five or seven
minutes, the dancing girls slowly march out as they entered, the
music girls leave, the dais sinks, the lanterns descend and all
is over.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 171

CHAPTER VII.
Tidings of rebellion — Ise — Yokkaichi — Manufactures of Nagoya — Comparative estimates
of wealth and skill — Castle of Seto — Sidsuoka — Fujiyama — Return to Yokohama.
We now learn that the province of Satsuma is in open revolt
against the Government, while the neighbouring county of Hiego
has taken up arms with the view of expelling the hateful foreigner
from the country, and that hard fighting is going on in both
districts. Both the gentlemen who form my escort are, it seems,
from Hiego ; and I remember that a few days since Mr. Sakata
said with much warmth, " before the foreigner came we were
perfectly happy " (emphasizing the word perfectly), " and all were
contented, while now each is striving to get an advantage over
the other, and no one is happy."
This opinion is that of one who, while now a Government officer
with but small pay, would have been a samurai or fighting man
of considerable position, and whose father has been a great
sufferer through the destruction of the baronial system. The
feelings of my escort have just been embittered by an edict,
issued since we left Tokio, which states that as the agricultural
classes have protested against the excessive taxation imposed
upon them, the Government have resolved to reduce the taxes on
the land, and have consequently determined to lower the salaries
of all Government officials by one-third, so as to render this
reduction of taxes possible.
While I am sure I can trust both Ishida and Sakata, one
cannot help wondering what may happen next. That much of
the country seems ripe for rebellion is certain ; and I confess that

1 72 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
I have some sympathy with my Japanese companions in their.
dislike to the intrusion of the foreigner, for while we have gained
much in the way of art knowledge by the opening of Japan to
us, and although we have given telegraphs and a hundred other
useful things in return, we have done much to make a happy
people unhappy, a satisfied people dissatisfied, and a contented
people avaricious ; while the beautiful monuments which are
everywhere going to decay would have been preserved and cared
for had not European ideas been spread throughout the country.
At the present moment Japan is in a trying position. It
has overthrown a system which has worked well for centuries,
while it has not yet had time to reap the advantages which in
time will accrue from the new state of things. Besides this, the
people, unfortunately for themselves, have taken to luxuries of
which they knew nothing before the opening of the country to
foreign visitors, and that to such an extent that their imports for
some years past have been greatly in excess of their exports.
Thus the country is being positively drained of its wealth.
As an illustration of the change which many have experienced
through the altered state of things, I may mention a case that
has come before my own notice. A gentleman who is in the
Government service tells me that his salary is now one-eighth of
what it would have been under the old feudal system, while
things have increased amazingly in price since the opening of the
country to the foreigner.
When descending Mount Koya-zan I was compelled to abandon
my boots, and adopt the Japanese straw shoes. This led me to ask
the value of these sandals which I had constantly seen the coolies
use, and the answer was that they cost eight-tenths of a half
penny per pair. When I expressed astonishment at the lowness
of the price one of the party exclaimed, " No ! they are not cheap
— they are very dear ; I can remember when eighty pairs were
sold for a halfpenny," and then the matter was put to me in this
way. These poor men get but threepence a day for dragging us,
and as they wear out two pairs of sandals between morning and
evening in so doing, one-fourth of their entire income is expended

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 173
in purchasing the necessary protection for their feet. Assuredly we
should regard it as very serious if we had to spend a. quarter of
our income in boots. We can now understand the enormous
change which has taken place in the circumstances of some of the
old samurai and nobles, for not only have their incomes been
materially reduced, but the value of money is so much lessened,
that men whose income is now in money one-eighth of what it
formerly was are practically not a twentieth part as rich as they
would have been under the old state of things.
In the morning we set out to see another great Shinto shrine
at the opposite end ofthe town. It is in many respects like the one
which we saw yesterday. Both appear to have the same number
of enclosures and the same form of palings bounding the courts,
but the arrangement of the buildings is different. Like the other,
this is also surrounded by beautiful trees. We are admitted
to the outer court, and from this we can see through to the more
sacred enclosures beyond. But I see nothing calling for special
notice. Leaving Kamiji-yama, we retrace our steps along the great
promontory of Ise, and in two hours reach the town where so
many houses have been destroyed by agricultural insurgents.
After a time we pass through the village where flutes and whistles
are made, and then another about a mile long, devoted entirely to
the manufacture of paper leathers. My request for permission to
see the process of manufacture was met by the rejoinder that it
would take fourteen months to see any one sheet of leather-paper
made. The fact is that in these Japanese villages everything is on so
small a scale that the consecutive processes can rarely be seen at
the same time. Division of labour is but little understood, and
the potter who " throws " the clay generally turns it, bakes it,
glazes it, and not unfrequently decorates it ; and other manufac
tures are conducted in a like way.
While this method of working renders the study of Japanese
industries difficult, it yet secures many advantages, for the potter
who makes his wares entirely with his own hands has a pride and

174 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
an interest in them, which no one who simply " threw " the clay,
who fired the biscuit, or decorated the ware, could have. Each
piece of ware produced entirely by the one man is to him a
sort of child that he loves ; he has watched its development
through all its stages ; he has nursed it tenderly, and he has done
all that he could to give to it beauty of form and perfection of
character. I have viewed, with no little interest, the satisfaction
depicted on the countenance of a manufacturer of this kind when
signing the completed work. There is as much pride in Japan
manifested by the maker in completing a little cup, a lacquer box,
a sheet of leather-paper, or even a pair of chop-sticks, if the work
be but excellent, as there is in one of our great artists contem
plating an historical painting ; and by perfect work any handi
craftsman in Japan may attain to the celebrity enjoyed here by a
Landseer, a Turner, or an Owen Jones, and the fame supplies a
stimulus for the production of work still more excellent.
The next place which we reach is a small village in which
waterproof paper is made, such as the peasants use for wrappers,
capes, and rain coats, and such as furnish the " aprons " of the jin
rikisha. Here also are made the mushroom-like hats of the coolies
In the street we see some mounted travellers, two women and
one man carried by one horse, — the man squatting on its back,
while a woman was suspended in a sort of scale at each side.
Travellers here generally ride, while in all other parts that I have
visited they almost invariably walk.
Here in Ise things seem prosperous. The houses are larger
than in any other part of Japan, and are usually of two, and some
times three, stories in height. They are also differently constructed,
having the gables in all cases directed towards the street.
I have noticed in this province some grand street-lamps,
formed wholly of wood, with lanterns three feet across at their
broadest parts, and with roofs most carefully made of small
wooden tiles, if I may so express myself (Fig. 5 8) ; but in one or
two cases the effect of the lamps has been marred by a second
rough roof being placed over the first to protect it from the
weather.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

'75

We see nothing more to interest us till we reached Yokkaichi,
the town for which we are making. Our road for nearly all the
way has been over a sandy plain which, though now paddy fields,
must at some recent time have
been reclaimed from the sea. On
our left are snow-clad mountains,
but owing to the dulness of the
day we can only just make out

Fig.

!.— Lamp-post.

Fig. 59. — Eanko Teapot.
the hills over the bay of Owari at
the right. We arrive at Yokkaichi, the
seat of the Banko potteries, at
6.35 P.M., having come rather over
forty miles in the day. Our coolie who can " make beefsteaks "
has run with us the whole distance that we have travelled from
Kioto, and yet he appears in no way exhausted.
Yokkaichi is in the province of Ise, but here the special
features of the country are lost, for we are close on the borders of
another province. The factories here are as usual small. The
special characteristic of the wares of this town is that they are
made by the pinching of the clay between the thumb and finger,
and not by any process of "throwing'' on the wheel. (Fig. 59).
Bank5 wares are generally unglazed, and the earth of which

176 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
they are made is most commonly of a soft Portland-stone colour ;
yet objects of dull salmon-red, of white, and of dark brown, are
occasionally produced.
After a long round of the potteries, with which I was much
interested, we started for Owari. When three miles on the road
we came to a pottery owned by a man whose father re-invented
Banko ware, and in about three miles more we enter the rather large
town of Kuwana through a large bronze torii. Here we see a
number of potters who make common Banko wares ; but one
makes a specialty of vitreous painting on pumice stone brought
from Idsu. This pumice stone is sometimes in the form of slabs, and
sometimes in the form of pots, such as the Japanese grow flowers in.
In this town of Kuwana there are one or two leading potters
and a great many small ones, but all make the same wares. I
ought perhaps to add that the largest pottery here would
probably in no way be comparable in size with the smallest in
Great Britain.
We left Kuwana by boat, being rowed about five miles along
a river, and then after some delay set off in jinrikishas for Nagoya,
distant about seventeen miles from our landing-place.
Nagoya in Owari is one of the important manufacturing
towns of Japan, and besides its manufactures it has many curio
shops. Here are made the low-toned calico prints in which
pilgrims carry their little luggage, and here also is the chief seat
of the cloisonne" (or shippo) manufacture, both on metal, and on
porcelain with the interstices filled with lacquer. Earthenware
cabinets, much bronze ware, that curious porcelain which has an
iron -like surface and a gold pattern resembling Damascened
metal -work, and that soft -baked crackle-ware which is covered
externally with chequered lacquer, are made here. Nagoya also
stands in the centre of the great Owari pottery districts.
Near the curio shops is a temple with a gate richer than any
thing I have hitherto seen (Figs. 60, 61). Its uprights and cross
beams, as well as the panels, are carved with elaborate ornament ;
and even on the two sides of each structural member the pattern
varies.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

i77

Before I had risen the next morning the curio dealers had
invaded the hotel, and spread their wares over the floors of each
unoccupied room. This is a common practice here ; and I believe
that little is paid for the privilege of thus displaying goods, unless
sales are made, when
a percentage is given
to the landlord for

Fig. 60. — Details of Gateway to Temple in Nagoya.
a., Enlarged view of ornament on central upright ; b, of lattice ;
c, of horizontal member.

Fig. 61. — Portion of Carved
Panel in Gateway of
Temple in Nagoya.
the accommodation af
forded. After these

poor men had been to
such trouble, I could not well help inspecting their things, yet
amidst their collections I found but little of interest.
I received visits from the governor of Nagoya, who asked me
to dine with him in the evening, and from Dr. Roretz, whom I
recognised as one of our party at the luncheon in Tokio given to
the Austrian Princes by the secretaries of legation. Dr. Roretz
is physician to a large hospital established here for the cure of
diseases by European treatment. He is the nephew of the
Austrian minister at Tokio. During my stay in Nagoya he
joined me in my excursions, and gave me much valuable aid.
N

1 78 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Having visited the great Shippo company's works, and a
pottery of some interest, we went to see bronze-makers, various
metal-workers, and one calico printer.
In the evening Dr. Roritz takes us to see an enormous
earthenware head of a Dai-butz, which stands on a waste piece of
ground near a temple. This is made in three parts. There is a
join underneath the hair, and another underneath the chin, but the
central part measures five feet in height.
The governor's dinner was given in a suburban hotel where
the garden was illuminated by lanterns, and most sumptuous
the dinner was. Besides the governor and my two Japanese
friends, the vice-governor and four others are present — the
latter, like the Roman umbra, simply listening to what is said.
There is in Japan a little too much of the spy system, for I
can scarcely go anywhere without some officer being present to
report all that I say and do. Those Government officers who
have been sent ostensibly for my protection have in some cases
simply recorded my doings ; and when no Government officer is
present Ishida's pocket-book does good service in their stead.
In the morning we start on an excursion to the little town of
Seto — one of the chief seats of the Owari porcelain manufac
ture — where we are met by the governor. Last night I
mentioned to the governor of Nagoya that the system of having
some one to record all my acts and movements was scarcely
agreeable ; so he promised that no Government officer from his
district should accompany me to Seto, yet the governor of Seto
lost no time in letting us know that he had been informed of our
coming by the governor of Nagoya. This communication could
have been made only by a messenger being despatched before
our leaving Nagoya ; the governor of Nagoya keeps to the letter
of his promise, as he does not send any one with us to the pottery
district, but he takes care that some one shall do the spying.
Here we are in the very midst of the blue-and-white porcelain
manufactures of Japan ; but in Seto many wares are made
besides those which especially characterise the district. Among
these are Celadon on white porcelain ground, dark rich purple-blue,

\
ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 179,
like the royal blue of Worcester, and undecorated vases of
Satsuma earth.
The inspection of these potteries makes me feel still more the
difficulties which beset the path of a student of Japanese manu
factures, for the potters sell chiefly to dealers who are invited to
attend at the opening of every fresh kiln. Thus all the wares which
a man produces are generally sold as soon as they are made.
To-day I found that some of the best potters in Seto had
not even one specimen of their work to show, while many had
but few pieces, and those chiefly " wasters." There is also
another difficulty, for much of the best Seto ware is taken to
Nagoya to be painted.
It is a common practice to have wares which are made in
one district decorated in another. The question then arises :
Are we to regard an elaborately painted vase which has been
made in Seto and painted in Tokio as of Seto or Tokio manufac
ture ? Such questions as these constantly perplex the student of
Japanese Keramics ; and as the decorator generally buys the
wares from the potter and sells them as of his own manufacture,
we in England frequently mistake the locality in which the wares
are made. But men who are merely makers, and decorators who are
merely decorators, must rather be regarded as merchants, or
money-makers, than as potters such as the Japanese esteem : and
I may here remark, that in Japan the merchant has no status
whatever, though he be rich as Croesus. Money alone buys
no position. A prince will spend hours in conversation with a
skilled workman, and will receive him respectfully at his yashiki,
but the richest merchant would be beneath his notice.
Who shall say that the Japanese are imperfectly civilised
when they thus pay homage to learning and skill, and prefer these
to wealth ? Is not their civilisation, rather, higher than ours ?
Surely they here set an example to us which we should do well
to follow ! Here we worship wealth, while we pass unnoticed the
handicraftsman, however great his knowledge or subtle his work ;
yet too often the merchant employing the handicraftsman has

180 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
secured his gains by acts of which he ought to be ashamed,
and which can only result in the degradation of his nature. I
cannot help thinking that the Japanese are right in regarding
the man who can make a beautiful pot, a lovely cabinet, a
charming fabric, or a perfect netsuki as a being superior to the
mere buyer and seller of goods ; for while the one devotes his
best energies to mere money-making, the other ennobles matter
by the impress of his mind, love, intelligence, and skill ; for unless
the work results from intelligence, skill, and love, it cannot be
regarded as a noble production.
There is a vast difference between toil undergone for the sake
of mere money-making, and the production of the most perfect
works of which man is capable. No thought of gain enters the
mind of the great artist while he is engaged upon his work.
Much of the work done by the British workman is positively
despicable, because his only thought has been how to make the
most money with the least exertion of mind or body. But the
loving, painstaking toil which the Japanese bestow upon so many
of their productions is actually ennobling ; and by such labour
the workman rises necessarily far above the mere moneyed man.
Here, in Seto are made all the shapes for the cloisonne" on
porcelain manufacture, certain imitations of Satsuma ware, buff
lustre wares, and many other things ; indeed, Seto produces a
large number of goods for home consumption, as well as many
for the export trade. I have to-day bought at Seto a common
sachi bottle, such as the peasantry would use, and for it I paid
four rin and eight mo. For some time past the Japanese have
adopted the American coinage ; thus they have the dollar with
its half, its quarter, and its hundredth part, or cent — each cent
being worth about a half-penny of our money. But mixed with
this new coinage is part of the old ; thus elliptical coins worth
eight-tenths of a half-penny, and circular coins worth one-tenth of
a half-penny, are still as common in Japan as half-pence are in
this country. Formerly iron coins were in use of the value of
one-hundredth of the cent, although these are now withdrawn
from circulation. I succeeded in getting a few pennysworth during

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 181
my journey ; and to this day quotations are given for some goods
in these coins, just as our Manchester manufacturers quote eighths
and sixteenths of a penny.
In this old money ten rin make one cent, ten mo make one
rin ; but there were also in use during the baronial age coins of
much smaller value than even these, but such coins seem entirely
to have disappeared. There were coins called shi, of which ten
make one mo, and there were also kotsu, of which ten made one
shi : thus there was a coin worth a half-penny, another worth the
tenth part of a half-penny, another worth the hundredth of a half
penny, and another worth the thousandth of a half-penny. The
sachi bottle which I purchased to-day will be seen to have cost
something under a farthing.
On the following morning we had nothing but delays. It
was half-past nine before Mr. Ishida got back from the Govern
ment House, and I then learn that there was some difficulty about
our getting to see the castle, as it is under the control of a
military commander, and not of the governor of the town, who
had invited us to see it.
Mr. Ishida has brought the bad tidings that an insurrection
has now broken out in the north of Japan, and that the Imperial
troops, while gaining the mastery in Satsuma, have to face new
troubles in other quarters. But what concerns me most is the
fact that the province of Suruga is in a most unsettled state, as
we have to pass through it in order to continue our projected
land journey. To-morrow we are to have exact news from the
governor, but should we not be able to proceed, we shall have to
return to Kioto (from which we are ninety miles distant by the
nearest road), going thence to Kobe by railway, and on to Yoko
hama by sea. We may, however, catch a steamer which occasionally
calls at a town only ten miles distant from here ; I can only hope
that things are not so bad as they are reported to be.
On our return to the hotel, we found a Government officer
waiting to conduct us to the castle ; but although we soon
reached its massive gates, we had to put up with most tedious
delays before we were allowed to pass them.

1 82 JAPAN. ITS ARCHITECTURE,
At last we are inside the walls, when we are shown into two
rooms which have ceilings similar to the beautiful temple of
Uyeno, in Tokio, and which are said to be of Corean design.
There are here also, above the movable slides which form the
partitions between the rooms, some magnificent wood carvings

Fig. 62. — Wood-carving by Hidari Zingoro. Preserved in the Castle at Nagoya.

of flowers and birds, which are coloured in a subdued and delicate
manner (Fig. 62). While these screens are pierced and carved
on both sides, both faces are yet essentially different ; and the
parts are arranged with such consummate skill, that those on one
side help, instead of mar, the general effect of the other. These
works are by one of the most celebrated wood-carvers that Japan
ever had. His name was Hidari Zingoro, and he lived about three
hundred years since. Through the kindness of the military
governor of the castle, I have since been able to procure photo
graphs of these magnificent works.
The immense towers of this castle, like those of the other
castles that I have seen in Japan, have to me a Chinese rather
than a Japanese look. It reminds me also of the Japanese
palace in Dresden ; perhaps it is only the green roof that does so,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 183
for here the coverings of the immense towers are copper. Of the
size of the towers I could have formed no idea from a distance ;
and they seem as strong as they are great. Hundreds of soldiers
could be accommodated on each floor, and from the window
openings the entire surrounding country is surveyed. Curious
wooden charts, fixed at the various openings, are so arranged that
the eye may follow lines indicating the position of any place for
miles round.
From what I have seen in the last few days I begin to think
that there are hindrances to an increased commerce with foreign
countries which Japan will, for its own sake, have shortly to
remove. It is now pretty clear that out of the money which 1
have paid for certain objects four parties have had to be feed.
The Japanese servant must have his percentage ; the Government
officer who accompanies us demands his share of the spoil ; the
gentleman who packs and forwards the goods, although paid for
his work, must have something to encourage him to pack the
things safely ; and if the goods have been bought direct from the
maker he must pay to a guild of merchants such a sum as would
be a fair profit on the transaction. Until all this is removed
Japan cannot hope to become a great mercantile nation. As re
gards the English I can positively say that such a method is to
them most objectionable, and is likely to cause a serious curtail
ment of business.
Another great difficulty lies in the fact that all things here
are on a small scale, and the time needed for visiting the numer
ous little factories is greater than any exporter can give. No
country that I am aware of has ever become a great mercantile
nation until the manufacturer and the exporter have been brought
together. When our broad-cloth and our dress stuffs were made in
cottages, what were called Piece Halls were built in the larger
towns, and here each cottager could hire a room for a trifling
sum. To these piece halls the little manufacturers brought their
few lengths of stuff, and thus the merchant could by one visit, on
certain days (market days), see the whole produce of the district,

1 84 JAPAN : ITS ARCHITECTURE,
while the manufacturers ascertained the prices which goods were
fetching. If the Japanese would but establish, in certain central
positions, such markets for the produce of districts, their commerce
would be largely extended.
It was 3.15 P.M. before we could start to-day on our excursion
to the Mino Potteries, a five hours' journey. It was dark before
we reached our resting-place at Tazimi.
The next morning we were off by 7.30 to the potteries, taking
Ichi-no-kura, where the better class of Mino wares are made, first
in order. This village is about two and a half miles distant from
Tazimi by foot -road over the mountains ; but as there is a
jinrikisha road to it, which is said to be but little longer, we settle
to drive, for we have a hard day before us. It turns out that a
mountain spur has to be rounded before we can reach Ichi-no-
kura, and an hour and a half is spent in reaching it. This village
is situated on two sides of a valley where it extends up the hills,
just as the potteries of Seto do ; and indeed, all the potteries of
Japan seem to be situated on sloping ground.
The kilns in these pottery districts are of strange form, and
consist of a series of arches with mud exteriors which rise up the
hillside ; and many potters burn their wares in the one kiln. In
a pottery district the extent of the manufactures is estimated
by the number of its public kilns. The province of Mino alone
has a hundred and fifty kilns.
We first inspected the potteries on the side of the hill dividing
Ichi-no-kura from Tazimi. Here we found potters making blue
and white wares, earthen teapots like those of Banko, sachi cups
of many kinds, Japanese tea-cups and other things, some being well
finished and nicely decorated. Here we also found decorators, not
connected with any pottery, who are paid for any work that they
may do, and who often purchase plain wares to decorate and sell.
On the other side of the valley are some excellent potters who
make blue and white wares of great delicacy, and dishes in the
form of bent Nelumbium leaves. One man's specialty is eccen
tricity in shape ; but he produces a perforated ware which has
its perforations filled with transparent glaze. This potter is known

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 185
in the district by the name of Hechibei, which being interpreted
means " funny fellow." Another manufactures wares that look
rather like our " mottled soap," being brown, gray, and white
mingled together in a tortuous and striated manner.
After completing our inspection of the Ichi-no-kura potteries
we walked over the hill to Tazimi ; and a delightful walk we had.
The day was gloriously fine, yet there was a cool bracing air as
the frost last night was keen. Ascending to the ridge and then
turning to the left, we followed the crest of the hill for about a
mile and a half, looking down on a most charming view, as a very
forest of mountains extends to the horizon on all sides ; and so
we reached Tazimi. The potteries here produce nothing but
common blue-and-white wares of little interest ; but we found in
one of the dealers a man of great importance in times gone by,
who under the Baronial system had acquired from the Daimi6 of
the province the sole right of selling Mino wares.
Starting at 4.1 5 on our return journey, we reached Nagoya in
less than four hours after having had a glorious drive.
The report that Suruga, the province where much woodwork
is made, and to which we are now going, is in a disturbed state
turns out to be untrue.
Next morning, therefore, we bade adieu to Nagoya, and follow
ing the great Tokaido (or main road) for about ten miles, came
to two small towns almost joined together, the first of these being
Narumi, the second Arimatsu. Here are made the crape scarves,
and other fabrics, which have a texture resulting from the " tying
up " of parts of the surface into tufts.
This manufacture is of a most interesting character, and
produces effects which cannot be got in any other way. At one
time this was a flourishing industry. But the European and
American demand for a cheaper and still cheaper article caused a
most delicate and delicious article to degenerate into the coarsest
and most objectionable of stuffs. Recently an effort has been
made to revive the original manufacture, and, I believe, with some
success. It would be a calamity not only to Japan but to the
world if such a manufacture as this were lost. Fabrics of this

1 86 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
character are called Narumi-shibori, the word Narumi being the
town, and Shibori tied or knotted.
In these two villages common Japanese towels are also made.
A Japanese towel, as I have already mentioned, is a piece of
common calico about three feet in length and ten inches in width,
on which a pattern of quaint character is printed ; indeed all
washing fabrics here are only ten inches in width. In Japan there
is nothing equivalent to our ironing and mangling processes, and
the only method of flattening a fabric after it has been washed
is that of sticking the cloth to a board while yet full of water and
there allowing it to dry ; and as the poor in England each possess
a clothes-line, so do the poor of Japan each possess drying boards.
If a woman's dress has to be washed it is first ripped into the
narrow strips of which it has been made, in order that these strips
may be flattened on the drying boards.
A run of twenty-five miles brought us to the town of Okazaki,
where there is one potter who has come here from Kioto, and
whose wares are remarkable more for eccentricity than for beauty.
He has left his former business to his son.
We left Okazaki at 3.1 5, and by 4.30 seven and a half miles
had been run. As there remained yet twelve and a half between
us and our destination I offered the men something in the way
of reward if they would run well for the rest of the distance. To
my surprise the twelve and a half miles were completed in one hour
and thirty-five minutes, although we had stopped on the road at
a village called Hozoji-mura to see the gourds, to the preparation
of which the whole village is devoted. At Hozoji-mura we were
asked as much as eight dollars (thirty-two shillings) for a bottle
gourd holding about three half pints : but its value lies in its
strength. Two such gourds may be knocked together with a vehe
mence that is astonishing without breaking. One of them is half
an inch in thickness, and we are informed that when very old the
rind of a bottle-gourd becomes thick, but that when the gourd is
young its skin is thin. Mr. Sakata has a bottle-gourd which cost
thirty dollars, being large as well as thick. I do not like the
appearance of those sold here nearly so well as those which we

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 187
saw on our road to Is<£, but the Japanese " colour '' their gourds
as smokers here " colour " pipes : and the young Japanese is as
proud of a richly coloured gourd as an English youth is of a well-
coloured "meerschaum."
We have now reached Toyohashi, in the province of Mikawa
or Sanshiw, forty-five miles from Nagoya, on the great highroad
to Tokio. It is the largest town, save Nagoya, between Kioto
and Tokio ; Okazaki being the next largest.
Our road has been across a valley most of the way, but for
the last five miles we have been near mountains. All the day
snow-clad peaks and long alpine ranges have been visible both on
the right and the left, but especially on the left ; and owing to the
clearness of the atmosphere we saw Fujiyama again for the first
time since we passed it on our way from Yokohama to Kobe by sea.
Since we started on our journey, neither Ishida nor Sakata
have ever worn their national costumes in the street. In the day
they wear European dress, and in the evening put on their
national dress, with a dressing-gown (borrowed generally from
the hotelkeeper) over it. I have just discovered the reason of
this. Both, as I have before said, are from a province now in
revolt, and as all Samurai wear their crests on their robes, their
dress would reveal the fact of their being from a revolting province,
and they would be constantly liable to arrest till the insurrection
is over ; for while their position in the Government service gives
them immunity from imprisonment, much trouble would be
involved in securing their freedom.
Having had a good night's rest, we rose at six, and by seven
were on the road. The morning was chill. At nine o'clock the
sun was struggling with a thin layer of cloud, but later in the day
the heat became actually scorching. At 9.30 we reached a shallow
bay nearly four miles in width, with a uniform depth of about
eighteen inches. This we crossed in a flat-bottomed boat. Over
more than a square mile of this bay bushes arranged in regular
rows jut out from the water : these are to catch a kind of seaweed
which entangles itself amongst them, and which is a valuable
article of diet.

1 88 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Having crossed the bay, we arrive at a little village, where
the sole employment of the inhabitants consists in collecting and
drying this weed. They spread it upon straws, like those on
which we place " cream-cheese." Along the streets, and on the
edge of the bay are propped, easel-fashion, a number of large
square straw pads, not unlike our targets in make. The little
straw mats being covered with seaweed, are pinned on these
target-like slabs by wooden skewers, and left in the sun till the
seaweed partly exfoliates, when it is removed for packing.
At this village we can get only two jinrikishas and two
coolies. Mr. Sakata and I therefore go on, while Ishida follows
on foot, with the baggage on a kind of hand cart or truck. As
the road is of loose sand our progress is slow. In the village
through which we are now passing nearly all the houses have in
front gardens enclosed by well-trimmed hedges, some of which
are as much as thirty feet in height. Orange-trees laden with fruit
may be seen everywhere, and beside many of the houses stand
lovely little shrines. At the next village we get an extra coolie
each, and order a jinrikisha to be in readiness for Mr. Ishida.
Along this road the scenery is more tropical than any that I have
before seen in Japan, and strikingly resembles that of Java, while
the houses are also very similar to those in that island.
Soon we come to a town of considerable importance, which
has a look of prosperity about it that I have seen hitherto only
in Ise\ Here the gable ends do not front the street, and in
construction the houses differ from all others that I have seen.
I notice in the architecture during my travels varieties correspond
ing to those seen in the different Swiss Cantons. This town is
Hamamatsu in T5t5mi or Yenshiw.
After leaving this town we have nothing but bother with our
coolies ; but although at very short intervals we have to change
jinrikishas, by 6.30 we have got over fifty miles. There is, how
ever, a mountain ahead, and five miles more must be traversed
before we reach our resting-place. Mr. Sakata and I set out to
walk, leaving Mr. Ishida to follow with the baggage by kago.
The ascent is steeper than any road that I remember in

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

Switzerland. Darkness comes on, rain begins to fall, and it is
nine o'clock when, tired and hungry, we reach Kanaya in the
province of Totomi or Yenshiw.
Morning ! It rained hard all night, yet the morning gave
promise of a fine day. But delay after delay arose with the jin
rikisha men ; and, finally, Sakata and I set out on our journey,
leaving Ishida and the servant to do as well as they could.
The day turns out gloriously fine, and we seem to have got
into thorough spring weather. Here the plum blossoms are fully out.
Some of these are, strange to say,
pink and double. We are in the
midst of the mountains, and lovely
indeed they appear on this glorious
day. Fujiyama is before us — for
a time cloudcapped, and then clear
again — but its vast and peerless

cone rises high above all surround
ings.

Fig. 63. — Portion of Table-mat, formed
of Stems of the Brake Fern.

By twelve we reached the town
of Okabe in Suruga, where mats (Fig. 63), trays, fan -holders,
chop-sticks, and other things are made from stems of the brake
fern. Although the coolies were refractory in the morning, they
have certainly run well, for by 1.30 we have reached the town of
Sidsuoka, which is also in Suruga. Here much woodwork is
made ; but only a few weeks since nearly one-third of the town
was destroyed by incendiary agriculturists ; now it is largely
rebuilt. Setting out to see the industries of the town, we visited a
man who makes portable folding-desks of English pattern, partly
inlaid. I bought one without polish, hinges, lock, or velvet, for
eightpence halfpenny ; yet, the expenses of transit are such that
Bethnal Green can beat it out of the English market.
We next saw a manufacturer of bent bamboo trays, who
performed his work with great skill, then a maker of inlaid wood
work, a man who forms bird-cages of vegetable wires, a man

190 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
who covers lacquer bread-baskets, and porcelain sachi-cups, with
basketwork ; but all his productions are covered with coarse work,
and not with that exquisitely fine plaiting which we formerly
found on the thin porcelain. The reason why this coarser work
is now produced was soon given. This man has imbibed the
English commercial spirit, and found it pay better to make com
mon things in large numbers, than the few of more delicate
character. He also doubts whether any one now living in Suruga
could cover cups with the fine work common ten years back.
Here we have another instance of the corrupting influence of
European trade on the Japanese industries. Since my visit, how
ever, the fine old work has again been produced in this district.
The bird-cages made in Sidsuoka are noteworthy as works of
great beauty and tenderness. What we may term the wires are
of vegetable origin ; yet, for rigidity and truth of form, they vie
with any metal thread ever produced.
Plain wooden trays, both circular and square, are here made
abundantly. These the Japanese use for domestic purposes, and
for offerings made to the gods.
Sidsuoka is an important town, engaged largely in the manu
facture of inlaid woodwork, but it is unfortunately situated.
Between it and Yokohama lies a high mountain range, over which
no vehicle can pass ; and, as nearly all Japanese exports leave the
port of Yedo, the manufactures must either be carried by men
over the Hakone mountains, or must be sent back at least as far
as Nagoya, — if not all the way to Kobe, — before they can be
shipped to Yokohama.
The next morning we were astart early. A little frost was on
the ground, but the sun soon gained power, and the heat became
almost oppressive. It is only the 1 9th of March, but the heat is
that of a July day in England. As we passed under the shade of
richly -wooded mountains Fujiyama rose in the near distance on
our left above a horizontal layer of white clouds which stretched
across it, while on the right lay a lovely bay, bounded by a low
range of hills, separating us from the great and sacred peak.
We stop a short time at an hotel, the back of which hangs

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 191
over the bay, and commands a lovely view of the great mountain.
As seen from the pretty little room in which we now are, Fuji
yama can be surveyed only with feelings of inexpressible delight.
Resuming our journey, we made our way round the mountain
spur which separated us from the giant mountain, when the
immaculate cone burst fully on our view. Here we cross one
of those strange, broad river-beds, which are so common in
this country, and from which the vast mountain rises, first gentle
and then increasing in its slope ; becoming more and more steep
as the summit is neared. But of the vastness of the slope,
even to the bottom of the snow -line, no accurate idea can be
formed, unless comparisons are carefully made. Large trees here
appear as specks, extensive plantations as little patches, cloud-
shadows no bigger than one's hand.
The height of Fujiyama is variously given as fourteen and as
sixteen thousand feet. Unlike the Swiss mountains, which all
have their bases far abeve the sea level, while many are seen only
from ground much elevated, the great Japanese mountain stretches
its base to the very ocean.
Monte Rosa is about fifteen thousand feet high, but it is
best seen from Zermat, which is about seven thousand feet above
the sea level ; and while Mont Blanc rises fifteen thousand seven
hundred feet above the level of the ocean, Chamouni, from which
it is seen, nestles in a valley nearly three thousand five hundred
feet above the sea. Thus, as seen from its base, Fujiyama is
higher than any European mountain. But its sublimity is due
not only to its height, but also to its form, and the regularity of
its snow -line, which invest it with a beauty peculiarly its own.
I know of no other mountain so perfect in shape, so immaculate
in appearance, and so majestic in its grandeur.
Our road leads us under another high bank, and here I notice
violets, dandelions, potentillas, the ground ivy, and other plants in
bloom, for in this low, warm district spring has thoroughly set in.
By 12.20 we have run thirty-five miles, and here one of our
poor coolies faints. He is, I am assured, in no way overcome by
fatigue, but is subject to fainting fits which might seize him at any

1 92 JAPAN. ITS ARCHITECTURE,
period of the journey. This little trouble over and a new coolie
secured, we are soon on our road again. At 1.30 we reach a little
town, where we have tiffin ; and some of the men who have pulled
us for the forty miles which we have this morning travelled,
appear ready to start again.
We soon reach the great Hakone pass, over which no vehicle
can travel, and for twenty miles we must either walk or be carried
in kagos. Coolies are engaged to bear our luggage, and two kagos
are hired, so that we may ride alternately if we please. The
path now rapidly ascends, and we get lovely peeps of sea, bay,
forest, and mountain, with Fujiyama high above all. Now the
air begins to get cooler ; patches of snow are seen in the shady
hollows, then we have snow in quantities, but partially melted,
till, as we near the top, snow and ice abound. Having gained the
summit of the pass we descend into a little hollow, where a strange
and picturesqe village borders a lake of two or three miles in
length, entirely bounded by mountains. The scene reminds me
partly of Loch Lomond, partly of Killarney, and partly of some
of the lakes in Westmoreland and Cumberland ; but, as the lake
is bounded at its distant end by Japan's greatest mountain,
nothing in Great Britain, and nothing even on Lake Lucerne, is
nearly so grand.
We are soon at the hotel, which stands back from the road.
Here we have another evidence of the change which has come
over this strange country during the last few years, for the gateway
through which we have entered the courtyard was opened only for
Daimios and their retainers until after the revolution of eighteen
hundred and sixty -eight, but now it is opened, not simply for
Japanese of ordinary rank, but for foreigners.
Our hotel is situated on the left of the road, and in a slight
declivity, its back rooms commanding the view of the lake and its
surrounding mountains, and of a lovely little garden adjoining the
hotel. From our rooms we watch the lake glimmering in the
evening light, placid and still. The dark mountains stand out
against the glowing sky ; and almost in the centre of the picture,
high above the nearer hills, rises the vast white peak of Fujiyama.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 193
We gaze on the changing effects of the fading light as the reflected
mountains disappear from the water till everything is lost in the
darkness. It is hard to tear ourselves from this enchanted scene,
but the window-slides are returned to their places, and the outer
world is shut out from sight.
March 20. — A more lovely morning than this could not pos
sibly be, and the view of the lovely lake, and of snow-clad Fuji
yama, is beautiful beyond description. We talk about the matchless
blue of Italian skies, but to me the sky which I here see almost
daily surpasses anything that I have ever seen in Italy ; indeed, I
never knew what fine weather really was till I visited Japan. Here
I find an atmosphere of the greatest purity, with a crispness so
refreshing and bracing, that I feel as if I never could inhale
enough ; and never did I feel in better health, or more vigorous
in constitution, than I now do.
By 7.10 kagos are at the door, and I am told to ride, as
the snow on the side of the mountain which we are about to
descend is thick and sludgy : I make an effort and succeed in
partly packing myself in the horrible contrivance.
For six miles I am slowly carried by men who trudge through
the snow with a steady and firm step, as though they were carry
ing a cage with a jackdaw in it, rather than a burly Englishman.
Unalloyed enjoyment is out of question in a kago ; but I feel
that the Hakone Pass, for beauty and grandeur, has few rivals
even in Switzerland.
Four miles on the road, we come to a little town in the
province of Sacami or Soshiw, called Yumoto-Kawabata. The
people are almost all employed in woodwork and making baskets
of special kinds ; but a few of the fern-stem trays, such as we saw
in Okabe, are also to be found here, as well as much inlaid
camphor-wood in the form of cabinets and boxes, wooden sachi-
bottles, paper knives, and other things ; but I am most interested
in the hats and baskets (Fig. 64) made of the plaited fronds of a
large pinnate fern, which are both ingenious in make and beautiful
in appearance. Having passed another village called Yumoto, where exactly
O

i94

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

the same manufactures are carried on we leave the great Tokaido,
and in two or three hundred yards come to the Hakone springs.
Here, as at Arima, we have a fashionable inland watering-place
with natural hot wells. A new hotel of considerable size has a
series of bath-rooms ; — the whole being clean and beautiful.
On our leaving this new hotel the landlord presents each of
us with a little packet tied with the folded paper which denotes a
gift, and containing a thin wooden box, within which is a little
sachi-cup bearing the name of the hotel. The custom of giving
a small present to the
guests, it seems, is com
mon in fashionable tea
houses in Japan ; and it
is in vogue also at Wies
baden and other German
watering-places, where a
fan is often given with
the name of the hotel
upon it.
I now find that a new
road has just been com
pleted from these hot springs, along which a jinrikisha can travel,
and that one of these comfortable carriages can be got at the hotel.
Seated in this vehicle, I feel as though I had been transferred from
purgatory to paradise.
From the village to which the kagos had been engaged Yoko
hama is distant about forty miles ; but the coolie who has brought
me from the wells agrees to run the rest of the distance, and by
2.30 we are all in jinrikishas and ready to start.
In the evening we reach Yokohama, and I take up my old
quarters at the Grand Hotel.
For the next few days I remained at Yokohama, writing letters,
arranging my purchases, looking over my note-book, and making
myself more thoroughly acquainted with certain manufactures.
On the morning after my arrival I had a welcome visit from Mr.
Saumarez, who had been the genial companion of the first part of

Fig. 64.-

-Basket formed of the Fronds of a Fern.
a being a Midrib.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 195
my journey. On one of the days spent at Yokohama we had a
steady downpour of rain from morning to night, and part of
another day was also wet ; but we must now look for rain, for the
wet season is approaching.
On March 25, having done all that was needed in Yokohama,
I left by the train for Tokio, where I remained for two or three
days, calling upon my old friends and inquiring into one or two
matters which I do not yet understand.
The day following my arrival I spend in studying the shrines
of Shiba. Dining with Mr. Saumarez in the evening, I met Mr.
Sato, the great Japanese scholar, who has got back safely from
Satsuma, where he was on a holiday when the rebellion broke out.
The next day I spent in arranging in the glass-cases of the
museum the objects which I brought out from England. Mr.
Mounsey introduced me to Mr. Ninagawa Noritane, an antiquarian
of great learning, who is publishing an archaeological work on the
pottery of Japan. He first shows us some rude pottery from the
early tombs, which he regards as two thousand five hundred years
old, then a piece of green ware nine hundred years old, which he
says was the first glazed ware of Japan. Bringing out some little
brown jars, such as are used at the " tea ceremony," he told us
that these were first made seven hundred years since. The first
blue-and-white ware was made, so he tells us, in Japan in the
fifteenth century. A rough, black Corean earthenware, which has
a pattern scratched upon it, he pronounced to be fifteen hundred
years old. He also tells us that a portion of a large, rude Corean
pot, which has its border covered with lacquer-work, was made
one thousand one hundred and fifty years since ; that an orange-
red lacquer tea -cup, which looks almost new, and a piece of
avanturine lacquer, have been in existence nine hundred years ;
and that a piece of plain gold lacquer, which has flowers drawn
upon it in fine black outline, is twelfth century work.
He now shows us a cabinet bearing a pattern formed of
feathers, in oxidised silver and gold (like a box which may be
seen in the South Kensington Museum). It was made for a prince
whose favourite pastime was hawking : a fashionable amusement

i96 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
with Japanese nobles and courtiers about three hundred years
since. All the Japanese wares which are decorated with hawks'
feathers were made for this prince or his friends. The crests of
this family consist of hawk's feathers variously arranged ; some
bearing a very close resemblance to the three feathers of the Prince
of Wales. In the evening I was introduced to Mr. Matsugata, the vice-
minister of finance and the president of the agricultural board, a
pleasant gentleman, shrewd and intelligent. Two years later I
renewed the acquaintance now formed in Paris, as Mr. Matsu
gata was sent by the Japanese as their commissioner at the Inter
national Exhibition of 1878, where I was acting as a juror. After
this I also had the pleasure of showing him some of the most
important manufactures of England.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 197

CHAPTER VIII.
A Shinto festival — Nikk6 — The great Sanctuary — Arrival at Tokio —
Japanese reports and police supervision.
March 28. — At 7 A.M. we started for Nikko with Mr. Saum
arez, turning aside, when some distance on the road, to see a
shrine which throws considerable light on the nature of Shinto.
About noon we crossed a river, came upon some priests with
their singular robes, and bearing on their shoulders a kind of
enclosed bier. This, we were told, contained a sacred mirror : a
copy of the one preserved in the great shrine at Kamiji-yama
in Ise\ At the next village which we reached a great Shinto festival
was being held. Thousands of people were laughing and shouting
and following an immense car, something like that of Jaghanath
in India. On this car is a platform surrounded by a low railing,
while in the centre rises a mast about thirty or forty feet in height,
from the top of which fly the cut papers which symbolise the
Shinto religion, while around its lower portion a tent of red and
white cloth is suspended from a hoop. On the platform are
musicians making rude music with gongs and fifes, and a masked
actor, whose gestures would not be tolerated in England. The
staff of this actor is unmistakably phallic.
He appears alternately as a man and a woman, — changing his
dress in the tent of which we have spoken ; and the car is dragged
by hundreds of men and boys, who delight in pulling at the
numerous ropes attached to it.
We are here brought face to face with what has long since

1 98 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
disappeared from the greater portion of the civilised earth ; yet
the dragging of the car and the lewd symbolism are part of a
religious service which is here regarded as of great moment ; and
before the car the priests solemnly bear the sacred ark, which
contains that strange emblem of Shinto — the mirror. The car
itself is an offering made by the people to the gods, and they are
now taking it to the temple.
It seems that, since foreigners have been permitted to enter
the country, such ceremonies have been shorn of many of their
characteristics : symbols have been reduced in number, while the
processions themselves are now of but rare occurrence.
To me, the accidental meeting with this procession has been a
matter of great interest, for it enables me to understand many
things that have hitherto been incomprehensible. Proceeding on
our journey, we spent the night at Koganai.
By 8.30 A.M. we are again on our way, and at 3 P.M. arrive
at a small phallic shrine, over which the Shinto emblem flies. It
is a diminutive temple supported on a pedestal. Around it are
many stones varying in height from ten inches to two feet, and
in diameter from two inches to five : the older stones are well
cut, the newer are more simple in character. At 5.30 we reach
Nikko, having run for forty miles through an avenue of coniferous
trees. For the last ten miles the avenue has been formed of
magnificent cryptomerias a hundred and fifty feet in height, and
with overhanging branches locked together in a vast vault.
Nikk6 is a small town situated in a richly wooded dell. It
has a mountain river leaping down a rocky defile, and a stream of
delicious water flowing through the central street. Across the
river, on the sides of a tree-covered hill, are the great shrines — the
most important and the most beautiful of all the shrines of Japan
— shrines as glorious in colour as the Alhambra in the days of its
splendour, and yet with a thousand times the interest of that
beautiful building. Here we have birds, flowers, water, clouds,
carved in a manner that could not be surpassed.
Following the road beyond the hotel, we soon reached the
mountain river, over which are two bridges, the lower open and

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

199

the upper closed. The closed bridge is painted red, and has
locked gates at its entrance. These gates are opened only once

3^1717

Fig. 65. — Plan of the Shrines of Nikko, after a Native Chart bought on the spot.
in a year (in August, I believe) at the time of the great pilgrim
age to Nikko. Turning to the left, and following the bend of
the river for a quarter of a mile, we come to a phallic shrine of

200

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

vast proportions. But the Government has now passed an edict
ordering the destruction of these emblems which for centuries have
here found a home ; and throughout the country all such shrines
are being dismantled. Continuing our course by the river for half
a mile, and re-crossing the water, we came to some scores of stone
figures of life size, in sitting postures,
which are said to be the disciples of
Buddha. Ascending the hill behind
these figures, we see a Buddhist grave
yard, and near the water's edge a stone,
over which rises a canopy supported on
four stone columns. In a small in
dentation incense is at times burnt ; for
on the face of an overhanging rock at
the opposite side of the stream a San
scrit inscription is cut, and the author
of these characters is worshipped. After
a glorious walk we returned, as night
closed in, to our hotel.
In the morning we start early to
see the shrines and temples so cele
brated throughout all Japan. To do so,
we follow the main street, cross the river,
and then turn to the left as we did last
night ; but, instead of continuing our course by the water, we soon
turn to the right and ascend the hill on which the shrines and
temples of Nikkd are built (Fig. 65). An opening at our right
soon displayed a short flight of steps, on the top of which is a
square flat enclosure, surrounded by a strong stone railing, in which
there is a gate. Both the railing and the gate are of massive
stone ; but they are mere copies in the harder material of a
simple wood construction. Within this enclosure is a large bronze
column supported by four buttress-like members (Fig. 66). In
the central column are stored copies of the Buddhist scriptures;
and while the four supporting posts and the central column are
here fixed, the whole structure is but a modification of the rotary

Fig. 66. — Bronze Column or
Sorin-to at Nikko.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

contrivance which holds copies of the scriptures, and the pious
cause to revolve as a religious duty, — the sorin-to (so = all, rin =
wheel, to = tower). The titles of the sacred books contained in
this structure are written on the
upper parts of the column in
gold characters.
Continuing our walk up the
hill, we soon reach a beautiful
pagoda (Fig. 6f) and various
buildings, which together con
stitute the great sanctuary of
Nikko. These stand in an en
closure surrounded by walls,
which are as beautiful as the
buildings. These walls, like
many in Japan, are roofed, and
their lower portion is of stone,
while intervening between the
stone and the roof are uprights
connected by tie - beams. The
beauty of the walls lies in the
carved panels, which fill the
spaces between the uprights and
the tie-pieces. Birds, flowers,
clouds, water, and animals are
here cut with a boldness which
the finest of European carvers
could scarcely equal. I doubt,
indeed, whether we have in
Europe any artists who could arrange such compositions with
half the vigour exhibited in these panels (Fig. 6g).
The temple enclosure is divided into a series of courts, one
within, or beyond the other ; and as the shrine is situated on the
side of a hill, which it gradually ascends, each succeeding court is
higher than the one preceding it ; and the main building, being in
the last and most sacred enclosure, is on the highest ground.

Fig. 67.— Pagoda at Nikko.

202 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Here, on our left, is the stable in which a sacred horse was
formerly kept, a building which strikes me as of great interest, and
is formed chiefly of plain unvarnished timber. It has a few panels
carved and coloured with consummate skill, while the distribu
tion of these enrichments is as judicious as the carving and the
colouring are clever. The coloured carving and a bold lattice
door of the finest black lacquer contrast with the plain wooden
structure in the most delicious manner. In this enclosure, and
still on our left, are a series of buildings, any one of which is an
object to boast of ; and, if situated in any part of Europe, thousands
would make long journeys to see it. There is the water tank
standing under a canopy, which is a mass of beautiful work. The
roof over it rests on twelve monolith columns, the tops of which,
as well as parts of the horizontal tie-members, are encased in bronze
sockets, diapered'with fine patterns, and bearing the Shdgun's arms.
Here and there, extending beyond the bronze encasements, are
little bits of polychromatic ornament most carefully disposed.
Above the horizontal member, and supported by a series of curious,
yet characteristic brackets, is a wonderful, massive, sweeping roof,
with rounded gables, borne on beams half enveloped in gilt metal
figured with rich repousse" ornament.
Above the horizontal member and below the glorious sweeping
roof, is a mass of carving, painting, and hammered metal-work,
the like of which no English building can boast. Here we have
water, almost lashed into tempest, with water-fowl riding on the
waves, and flowers treated with exquisite tenderness, while all is
subordinated to a true architectural position.
But in dealing with a shrine like that of Nikk6, words are
altogether inadequate : even the best photographs give but an
imperfect idea of buildings which owe half their beauty to colour,
and half to form. Without the aid of either, and having to satisfy
myself with a few woodcuts, which are as far behind the great
photographs of Nikko now before me as photographs are behind
fully-coloured drawings, I feel that my attempt at conveying to
the reader any fit conception of the beauty of these shrines must
result in failure.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 203
Next to the water -tank, and a little beyond it, is another
building of great beauty ; but were I to attempt descriptions of
the various buildings here congregated my book would swell to
unwieldy bulk.
In the court now entered are several other buildings, and a
series of lanterns, both in stone and in bronze. Most of these latter
are about six feet in height and of the usual pagoda form, while all
around are vast coniferous trees crowded together, so as to form an
almost impenetrable mass of green. On the right, however, of
the court is a building which we must not pass without notice.
The lower portion is formed of triangular logs arranged hori
zontally, and resembling in its construction the old building at
Nara in which the Mikado's treasures are preserved. Above the
portion thus formed and below the great overhanging roof we
have an amount of work in the highest degree beautiful.
Dealing with the gable end, which faces us as we walk up this
outer court, we have above the V-shaped logs a horizontal member,
on which runs a " Greek key pattern " in all its purity. From this
rise five circular uprights, crossed by another horizontal member,
on which again occurs the " Greek key," while two of the panels
thus formed are filled with lattice -work and two with painted
decoration. Passing upwards, we have a diaper pattern in the spaces be
tween the columns, and a series of brackets supporting a horizontal
and projecting beam. Here rises a king-post, which carries the
ridge of the roof, and beside which stand, in full relief, two
elephants at play. There are other members here which cannot
be described, — carved pendants, metal ties, grand-headed nails, —
while nearly all the parts are covered with diaper -work of the
richest colour and cleverest construction.
Following the pathway, we now pass through a magnificent
torii, the uprights of which are of stone, while the horizontal
members are of bronze, on which is repeated ten times the crest of
the Shogun. This torii has its vertical columns encased in bronze sockets,
which rest on a plinth or base, and are perfectly Greek in

204 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
character, the usual Greek leaf ornament enriching the moulding
which spreads from the column to the base. Passing under
the torii, we ascend twenty steps and enter the second court, in
which we have a series of buildings and some magnificent trees.
At one side is the belfry, at the other the music-house, together
with other small buildings, while distributed over the court are
brackets, a huge candelabrum, and a monster bronze lantern, these
latter being all of European (probably Dutch) manufacture.
On some of the buildings which bound this court, and face us
as we enter it, are carved panels of great magnificence. The first
of these panels on the left consists of the pasony and the sacred
bird, or hon — which may be regarded as the Japanese phcenix —
with its three young. Another consists of a grand treatment of
the fir-tree, another of the kiku flower, the plant of which the
Mikado's domestic crest is formed, and on which the hon is
supposed to feed, and others of various flowers and birds, all
treated with masterly skill.
Leaving this court, which is a long transverse strip of ground
extending to the right and left of the central path, we ascend a
flight of thirteen steps to a gateway in which are two colossal
figures, the one at the right and the other at the left (Fig. 68).
This gatehouse is of considerable height, and has a massive
roof, while a large gallery surrounds it ; but both the gallery and
the roof are supported on a complex system of brackets, such as
must be seen to be understood.
The elaboration of detail in this gatehouse is absolutely
indescribable. There must be thousands of brackets supporting
the gallery alone, while as many are employed in sustaining
the roof. Here we have dragons in full relief by the score,
kylins in almost every attitude, carved flowers, groups of figures,
clouds, water, diaper - patterns, and ornamental compositions
wrought by the chisel, drawn by the brush, or hammered up in
metal ; while the whole constitutes a mass, beautiful in its propor
tions, pleasant in its " quantities," correct in its structure, and a
very world of colour- harmony. This is the most marvellous
architectural work that I have ever seen, and days might well

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 205
be spent in considering it. The illustration (Fig. 69) is a rude
attempt at expressing the contour and detail of this gateway as
seen from the court which we are now about to enter.
Passing through this gateway we come upon a large court
which surrounds, on three sides, that enclosure in which the temple
itself is situated. This enclosure is separated from the innermost
court, in which the temple stands, by a wall, in the centre of which
is a gateway (Fig. 69), if possible, almost more beautiful than the
one through which we have just passed. The base of the wall
adjoining it consists of massive blocks of stone, from which rise
uprights at the distance of about twelve feet apart. These
are connected by horizontal members thicker than the uprights,
and through which the uprights pass. The first horizontal
member is about sixteen inches above the wall, and is itself some
fifteen inches broad ; the next horizontal member is about five
feet above this, and of about the same width ; then comes another
horizontal member at a distance of about sixteen inches ; then
a regular roof-structure covered with tiles.
It will be seen that we have immediately above the stone base
of this wall a series of elongated panels about sixteen inches in
depth, then above these a series of panels of about five feet in
depth, then another series of the same depth as those below, all
of which are covered by a substantial tiled roof.
The lower range of narrow panels consists entirely of carved
representations of water and of water-fowl ; thus on the left of the
entrance to the innermost court the panel consists of three ducks
flying over water. The next consists of water and cloud, with a
passing flight of small birds ; the next of geese and water ; the
next of ducks and water, and so with the rest ; while to the right
of the gateway we have storks standing in water ; next a flight of
small birds and water ; then a flight of ducks over water, and so
on. Above these come the horizontal connecting beams, which are
diapered with an hexagonal pattern, then the large panels inter
vening between the two horizontal beams. These are framed with
black lacquer margins, having rich metal corner plates, and these
framed panels fill the large spaces left between the uprights and

Fig. 69.— Gateway at the Entrance of the Inner Court of the Shrine of Nikko.

208 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the horizontal members. The panels themselves consist of pierced-
work and richly-painted floral compositions. Now we come to
the second horizontal members, which are again diapered with a
hexagonal pattern ; but it should be noticed that this pattern laps
over on to the upper and the lower surface of this horizontal beam.
Above this comes the second series of narrow panels, which are
filled with flowers and land-birds.
In the whole of these panels the subjects are treated with
great tenderness ; yet there is a crispness and decision about the
carving which is most masterly, while both carving and diaper-
work are aglow with colours mingled in the most harmonious
manner. This court is surrounded by cloisters, and these are decorated
with great simplicity, and in a manner that reminds me of Greek
work ; yet there are decorative details which at once show that
the work is not Athenian. The Greek key pattern is, however,
used as a " string-course " on the walls as the Greeks used it.
Five steps lead to the gateway which forms an opening through
this beautiful wall ; but how can I possibly describe a work that
is at the same time full of detail, rich in colour, and most beautiful
in aspect ? Round its outer columns entwine dragons which seem
almost to live ; its architraves are covered with carved peach-trees
in full blossom, the branches extending from the uprights over the
lintel ; its brackets are tufts of chrysanthemum flowers, while above
we have a series of horizontal members superposed one above the
other, — the first giving us a very procession of gods ; the next a
number of panels filled with charming arrangements of water-
plants^.; the next (a tie-beam) profusely decorated with ornament,
and bound at its ends in elaborately treated metal sockets, and
above all the other decorations, yet underneath the curious arched
roof, are figures and animals and trees and water all grouped
together with a perfect understanding of the laws which govern
the distribution of ornament,
Ascending the five steps, and passing through this gateway,
we reach the innermost court — a parallelogram with its length
pointing up the hill where stands the temple itself; — a long

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

209

building of simple construction, but with carved panels of the
richest character.
The temple is entered from a balcony surrounding it ; and
its sides consist largely of well-formed, and massive, lattice panels
hinged at the top, and opening outwards. Above these window-
panels we find rich carving. Internally, the temple has a ceiling
divided into squares, like that
of Uyeno, with a deeply coved
cornice consisting of vertical
lines ; but the panels are filled
with ornamental devices of ap
propriate character resembling
those of Shiba.
I am getting weary of beauty,
and can understand what Shake
speare meant when he said,
"Sweet music makes me sad;"
for surely there is an affinity
between beauty of form, beauty
of colour, and beauty of sound.
I now feel that sweet forms and sweet colours and sweet harmonies
of colour are making me sad. I am also weary of writing of the
.beautiful, for I feel that any words that I can use must fail to
convey any adequate idea of the conscientiousness of the work, the
loveliness of the compositions, the harmoniousness of the colours,
and the beauty of the surroundings here before me ; and yet the
adjectives which I have tried to heap one upon another, in the hope
of conveying to the reader what I — an architect and ornamentist
— feel when contemplating these matchless shrines must appear, I
am afraid, altogether unreasonable.
We now leave the temple, and, making our exit through a
quaint white gate (Fig. 70) proceed up the hill to a smaller, but
not less beautiful, shrine. Here we find a strange anomaly, for
the cut paper of Shinto dangles in a building radiant with colour
and rich in ornaments.
Shinto enjoins the most perfect work, but employs neither
p

Fig. 70. — Small Gateway at Nikko.

2 1 o JAPAN: ITS AR CHITE CTURE,
colour nor carving in its temples ;. while Buddhism symbolises by
carving and colour the power of the Buddhists' god over all created
things, and the loving protection which all that lives enjoys at his
hands. The very essence of Shintoism is simplicity, and of
Buddhism the tender perception of, and care for, all that lives.
But the fact is — this shrine in which the Shinto emblem waves was
Buddhist, and it is only since the revolution that it has been set
apart for Shinto worship.
Connected with this temple are two rooms the columns of
which are covered with gold with coloured decoration, in the form
of folded drapery, at the top of each shaft (very similar to that in
Figs. 82 and 87). The golden columns, together with horizontal
members, divide the wall into panels, which have a margin of dark
green diapered with gold. On this diaper -work falls a black
lacquer frame pencilled with gold scrolls, while within the frame is a
carving in unpolished wood of a vulture with a rabbit in its grasp.
When I first looked at this carving I thought that it consisted
of one piece of wood, in colour resembling American walnut ;
but now I see that the carved parts are of one wood, and the
ground of another ; but the two are so similar in colour that they
simply present two shades of one general hue. The wall consists
of a series of such panels, only in each one the subject differs.
Above these panels are horizontal members richly diapered ;
then smaller panels, in which are coloured carvings or painted
ornaments. The ceiling is divided into coffers, and every coffer
has in its centre a carved group of flowers or ornaments in the
natural colour of the wood. For a dining-room or library I can
imagine nothing more quiet or richer in effect than this beautiful
room at Nikk6 ; and I only hope that some millionaire who can
appreciate the beautiful will give me an opportunity of producing
a similar room in this country.
This entire group of buildings, built for the purposes of Bud
dhist worship, have been ceded to Shinto since the restoration of
the Mikado to temporal power. They contrast strangely, I need
scarcely say, with the simple wood structures which constitute the
shrines of that strange faith. There is, however, a smaller group

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 211
of temples close by which still remains in the hands of the
Buddhists ; and the buildings here congregated are as beautiful
in their decoration, and as rich in their details, as those of the
larger series already described, while their situation is the better
of the two.
With much regret I leave these beautiful shrines in the fading
day and return to our hotel.
The manufactures of Nikko are few. Sections of tree stems
are here hollowed out as trays ; and are lacquered internally with
a mottled lacquer, while the outside remains in its natural state.
Trays are also made of a pliable bark, and sections of strange
stems are prepared as kettle stands, very highly finished.
We resolved, although it was late, to get a few miles on
our road towards Tokio before night. But no sooner had we
started on our journey than snow began to fall and it became
bitterly cold. The snow soon gave place to drenching rain, and
we were compelled to spend the night at the little town of
Utsunomiya, having made very little distance.
The next night at ten o'clock we reached Tokio, having run
eighty-three miles in the one day. The weather has been fine
but bitterly cold ; and the wind has blown a hurricane, overthrow
ing even large trees.
One thing only that I saw on the return journey is worthy of
special note, and that is an apothecary's sign in the town of Satte.
This sign was hung out in the roadway like those in front of our
old inns ; but its character was most marked and interesting. It
was of the form of the old gallows, but the tall upright shaft, the
horizontal member at the top, and the bracket connecting the two
were carved in a most perfect manner : indeed the carving on this
sign was almost as elaborate and as clever as some of the work
that we had seen in Nikko.
The next day was spent at Yokohama in making preparations
for my homeward journey, and on the day following I was enter
tained at a banquet which the ministers kindly prepared for me
at the Hama Goten (strand palace, or summer palace of the
Sh6gun).

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Going the next day to the museum, I found the things which
I took out all nicely arranged in glass cases, similar to those at
the South Kensington Museum, and here I met a number of the
ministers, including Mr. Sano,
General Saigo, Mr. Sameshima
(who afterwards became the
Japanese minister in Paris), and
many others.
After inspecting the objects
in the museum, we drove to the
summer (fishing) palace of the
old Shdgun (Fig. 71), where an
elaborate luncheon was prepared
in the purest French style. Nay,
not only was the cooking purely
French, but on the table were
costume-crackers and other bon
bons, including those enormous
contrivances which contain a
full-sized dress.
Having bidden adieu to my
friends, I started by the five
o'clock train for Yokohama; Mr.
Saumarez and one or two
others accompanying me. At
seven o'clock Mr. Sano, Mr.
Shoida (of the Tokio Museum), Mr. Ishida, and Mr. Sakata came to
dine with me. At 9.30 Mr. Sano, Mr. Shoida, and Mr. Ishida
left, while Mr. Saumarez and Mr. Sakata came on board to see me
off; and to my astonishment General Saigo found time to slip
away from the war office, although the Satsuma rebellion was at
its height, to come and wish me a safe journey and again to bid
me farewell. I am now on the steamship Malacca, and before
morning dawns I shall be on my way to China. Thus ends my
journeyings in Japan, during which I have travelled a little over
one thousand seven hundred miles,

Fig. 71. — End of Palace in the Hamagoten
Gardens, Tokio. This Palace was formerly
the residence of a Daimio, then it became
the summer Palace of the Empress, and now
it is used for the entertainment of illustrious
strangers.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

213

The following is a list of the distances that I travelled in
Japan. But first let me mention that 1 shiaku equals 1 foot
English (the Japanese foot is the same as ours, only it is divided
into ten, and not twelve, parts).
6 Shiakus = 1 Ken.
60 Kens = 1 Chio.
36 Chio = 1 Ri.
(1 Ri is about two and a half miles.)

Ri Chio

Tokio in Musashi to Yoko
hama
Yokohama to Kobe in Settsu
Kobe to Sumoto in Awaji .
Sumoto to Iga - mura and
back
Sumoto to Kobe
Kobe to Santa in Settsu
Santa to Shibe-yamain Settsu
and back
Santa to Arima in Settsu
Arima to Kobe .
Kobe to Nara in Yamato
Nara to Kioto in Yamashiro
Kioto to Osaka in Settsu
Osaka to Wakayama in Kii
Wakayama to Kuroye-mura
in Kii and back
Wakayama to Ota-mura and
back
Wakayama to Koya-zan
Koya-zan to Okunoin and
back
Koya-zan to Hashimoto-mura
Hashimoto-mura to Osaka
Osaka to Kobe .
Kobe to Hiogo and back
Kobe to Tenno-ji in Osaka
Tenno-ji to Kioto
Carryforward .

MS 1 2
14

3 1
7
23 131217

18 oooo
o

lb o
14 12 o

8 24

I

24

16

2

2

O

8

34

13

20

IO

0

2

0

I I

0

13

12

366 16

Brought forward
Kioto to Uji in Yamato and
back
Kioto to Ishibe .
Ishib to Tsu in Ise
Tsu to Futami-ga-ura .
Futami-ga-ura to Nai-ku
(interior temple)
Nai-ku to Yamada
Yamada to Yokkaichi .
Yokkaichi to Nagoya in Owari
Nagoya to Seto and back
Nagoya to Tazimi in Mino .
Tazimi to Ichi-no-kura in Mino
and back
Tazimi to Nagoya
Nagoya to Toyohashi in
Mikawa
Toyohashi to Kanaya in
TStomi . . . .
Kanaya to Shidsuoka in
Suruga .
Shidsuoka to Hakone in Idsu
Hakone to Yokohama
Yokohama to Kamakara
Yokohama to Tokio .
Tokio to Nikko .
Nikko to Tokio
Tokio to Yokohama

Ri

Chio

366

16

I 2

28

9

O

18

23

13

O

1

H

0

3°

18

0

12

27

12

4

10

18

4

0

10

18

19

9

0

u 21

26

• 19

7

6

0

8

18

4i

0

4i

0

8

18

685

3i

Or about 1 7 1 5 miles.

2,4 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

CHAPTER IX.
A Japanese blue book — Object of my visit — Exportation of ginger —
Manufacture of carpets, etc.
I HAVE now described my experiences while passing through
a strange and interesting country ; but while I travelled from
place to place I little thought that all that I said or did was to
be published to the world : but so it is. After the lapse of
some months I received in London, a copy of a sort of blue
book which had been printed and circulated throughout the
manufacturing districts of Japan : and as this record seems to
throw light on my journey I think it well to give translations of
portions of this curious document. I also received about the
same time a letter in English from poor Mr. Okubo, who was so
brutally assassinated after my return to England.
This letter runs as follows : —
" Interior Department, Tokio, Japan,
" s6st of id month I ith year Meiji.
"Dr. Dresser.
" Sir — In January of last ioth year Meiji, you have brought the articles
sent to our Museum, and I am much obliged that you have taken the
trouble to arrange them. After your returning home last April, the articles
have been exhibited to all the people, and I have notified all through
the country your valuable informations, regarding to the important points of
industry, which you have given to the officer who attended you during your
visit to several industrial establishments. It must be for your kindness that I
could make all industrial men to understand the points which were obscure
heretofore, and I can assure you that in the future time they will make a
progress and bring great interest upon the commerce.
" During your visit you have requested our Museum to make the models

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 215
of ornamental ceiling of several temples at Tokio, and now they have been
finished. "Although they are very trifling and not enough to compensate your
last service, I present them to you, you will please accept them as the token
of my highest regard. " With compliment, " Okubo Toshimichi,
" Minister of Interior Department.'1''
It thus appears that Mr. Ishida and Mr. Sakata were in
structed to note all I did and said, and to furnish a report of my
doings to the Government : and so minute is this report that the
exact sum expended in the purchase of various objects is noted,
and the amount of certain subscriptions which I gave to temples
named. The report first explains who I am and my motives for visit
ing the country. Thus it is said : —
" The purpose for which Dr. Dresser came to the East was to inspect the
productions of Japan and China, and to find out their prime cost ; moreover,
he wishes to collect paintings and drawings, patterns on woven and dyed
goods, and pictures of decorative colourings and sculptures on the temples
and other fine buildings in the interior of Japan. Hence, in his travels in the
interior, he collected porcelain and Japanned wares in which were preserved
old patterns, woven goods both old and new, decorations of temples and other
fine buildings.
" In his task of collecting old and new patterns and colourings, Dr.
Dresser gave special attention to the ancient works of Greece and Rome in
Europe, and in Asia he did not even omit the interior of India, sending agents
where he could not go himself. He has now accomplished, after much labour
and great perseverance, the design of many years, setting apart a sum of
1 80,000 yen of his own money for this arduous undertaking. He was especially
satisfied with Japan, where he obtained many old and new patterns and articles
of the highest interest.
" Having an extensive knowledge and fine taste in matters relating to the
fine arts, Dr. Dresser was extensively consulted as a very good authority by
various companies engaged in manufacturing porcelain wares, bronze articles,
woven goods, etc., about their patterns and colourings. The sums which he
received by way of remuneration from these companies suffice to pay his
expenses. The costs of his Oriental travels were also borne by various com
panies, so that he felt himseif bound to find out something important by
which these companies might be benefited in their various industry."

216 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
This is the Japanese notion of the object of my visit to the
East : and while there is a good deal of truth in it, it also contains
many facts altogether new to me. The manner in which my
position as " Art adviser" to some of our leading manufacturers
has been misunderstood is laughable, but I need not go through
the various statements and say which are true and which are not,
as my readers can almost judge as to this themselves.
In this report I am represented as giving information on
seventy different subjects. Among these are : —
" Exportation of Ginger.
" The quantity of ginger used in London is very great indeed, being used
in bread of higher quality, sponge-cakes, sweetmeats, etc., and also as medicine.
The people of the city are very fond of it, and it has now, like tea and coffee,
become almost indispensable. Now ginger does not grow in England, but is
imported every year from the West Indies. As the quantity of ginger grown
in Japan is very large, if its exportation were begun it would soon form an
important staple. For exportation it ought to be cut into thin slices, well
tight, and not liable to be spoilt."
This is an admirable illustration of the general character and
nature of this report. The conversation on which this paragraph
is founded arose in the following manner.
Being present at a Japanese meal, with one course of which
(fish) shredded ginger was served as we serve horse-radish with beef,
and noticing that the ginger was fresh from the ground, I asked if
it grew abundantly in Japan, and was informed that it did. I then
explained that it was a valuable article of commerce in Europe,
and that it might probably be advantageously included in the
exports of the country.
Being asked the uses to which ginger is put in Great Britain,
I said that it was used in medicine, as a flavouring in confectionery,
and that a certain kind of cake, called ginger-bread, in the making
of which this article was employed, was enjoyed by our children.
Now we can quite understand how our term " ginger-bread " has
come to be " bread made of ginger;" but why sponge-cakes should
have been selected as illustrations of the use of this pungent
rhizome, or why the city of London should have preference over

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 217
other places as the seat of its special consumption, I cannot say !
The notion of the cutting of ginger into thin slices must have
been suggested by a knowledge of the fact that the Americans
slice apples in order to dry them.
Now for my description of the
" Manufacture of Carpets in London.
" The manufacture of carpets generally is like that of velvet, only the
threads and wires are longer. There are four kinds now manufactured in
London, England ; each manufactory makes one kind, and the quantity
manufactured is very large indeed. As the warp is treble in velvet, so in
carpet weaving warp is from treble to quintuple, according to the fineness of
the pattern and texture. The quintuple warp is used for very fine pattern, and
the stuff is very thick.
" The finest style is called the 'Walton.' In this method the wire put in
is provided with a sharp knife-edge at one end, so that in taking it up it cuts
all the threads put lengthwise, being like the velvet.
" The next is the ' True Axminster,' and the method is like that pursued
in the manufacture of the highest quality in Sakai Ken. In this method each
thread of the warp consists of threads of proper length of various colours tied
to each other, so as to form the figure required, woofs being put in gradually.
But as the process takes a long time, only those of best quality and high price
are manufactured. " The third style is the Templeton Patent Axminster, so called from the
inventor. In this the patterns are, like that of the wall paper, repeated over
and over again. Several breadths may be put together so as to form a
continuous figure, according to the size of the room. This method is very
simple and good. The price is about five dollars (twenty shillings) for a
square yard.
" The fourth is the Tapestry carpet. This method is very simple, and
differs from the above three. The method of dying the warp and woof is very
speedy. Before they are put on the weaving machine the threads are placed
in the order in which they are to be woven, and put round a large cylinder on
which colours are put in proper pattern. As the cylinders roll in contact the
threads on the first cylinder are dyed in proper colours. This is the point in
which the method, which is very quick and convenient, differs from the first
three." This is put forward as my description of the carpet manu
factures of England.1 First, the seat of this industry is said to
1 For-a description of the carpet manufactures of England, see the section on this
subject in British Manufacturing Industries, by the author.

218 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
be London, where, until Mr. Morris erected his few handlooms
on Chiswick Mall a short time since, no carpet loom has for many
years existed. The description of the processes of manufacture,
and the kinds of carpets produced in Great Britain, is a strange
jumble indeed !
Next comes a paragraph entitled
" The Carpets and Furnitures of European Manufactures
are unfit for a japanese house.
" During my sojourn in Japan I observed the carpets, porcelain, and other
articles all of European manufacture, in every house everywhere. All these
articles are made for the use of the people of the lower class in England, and
are never used in the houses of the middle class. Moreover, European
merchants, finding that they can get the largest profit on these cheap articles,
send inferior goods to Japan. I am very sorry to see many perfect houses
of the Japanese style spoilt and deprived of their own excellent characteristics
by the presence of these inferior articles. Moreover, Japan is a very productive
country. Carpets are made in Osaka, Sakai, and some other places : and
many fine and noted porcelain wares and furnitures are manufactured here.
Therefore, if the houses are furnished and decorated with their home-manu
factured articles, the admiration and wonder of Europeans who may enter these
houses will be much more deeply excited. The people of all nations are
unreasonably prejudiced in favour of the foreign articles, and care little for
home productions. This feeling seems ingrained in the brain of people. And
it may be justly said that the foreign merchants get profits only by availing
themselves of this feeling."
This last paragraph has arisen out of certain remarks which I
made respecting the furniture seen in the houses of one or two
Japanese ministers, for, undoubtedly, these worthy gentlemen
had been considerably imposed upon by foreign traders, as most
European articles in their houses are of the very commonest
description, and such as scarcely make their way into the resi
dences of the lower middle classes in England. But how a
statement to the effect that " I observe the carpets, porcelains, and
other articles of European manufacture in every house, every
where," can be accounted for, I am at a loss to know.
Next we are favoured with my opinion on the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 219

" Manufacture of Hardware in Osaka and Sakai Ken.
" Very good hardwares are made in Osaka and Sakai Ken. Now, in
London such machine-made pieces of domestic furniture as have been manu
factured in Europe, and are smooth and polished, are not regarded with favour.
At present handmade wares, not highly finished, with hammer marks shown,
are becoming generally popular. This is one reason why it is important that
Osaka and Sakai should export articles likely to suit the wants of the London
people. But the wares which can answer to these wants are of course not of
many kinds ; and as every house in that city has fireplaces, stove, with the
accompanying tongs and pokers, these tools should be made by hands without
using machinery, by the Japanese method — simply, without ornaments, and so
as to show hammer marks ; it is certain that they will be generally esteemed
in London. Again, if the hardwares fixed on the doors in the temples of
Osaka, Kioto, and Nara, be imitated, with hammer marks apparent, and in
the same colour, they will be greatly in request in London. There is no doubt
that although manufacturers in that city may attempt for a time to imitate the
furniture sent from Japan, yet, as they will work at a much greater cost, articles
of Japanese manufacture will be sure to be more in demand."
The composition of this paragraph is more easily accounted
for. It arose out of a conversation respecting hardware, in which
I mentioned that persons of artistic taste in England preferred
black hammered fire-irons to the highly polished productions of
Sheffield. The next paragraph that we select is the most important in
the report, as it sets forth, in a way, my appeal on behalf of the
temples and ancient monuments of Japan. It is headed —
" About the old Temples of Kasuga and Todaiji in Nara, Yamoto.
" Yamoto is the most noted province of Kinai (five provinces about Kioto).
In Nara, especially, as being the seat of the ancient capitals, there are still to
be seen many buildings and works of art from which the splendour of ancient
times may be clearly imagined. European antiquarians in treating of long
past ages always proceed on evidence furnished by what remains in ancient
towns, such as temples and other buildings, and are very careful to preserve
the ruins as long as possible. Now, Nara, as a place full of old ruins and
relics over one thousand years old, is of highest importance to all who study
the conditions of ancient times. It is desirable that the Government should
protect and preserve carefully an ancient place like Nara. The dance of
Mikanks (a sort of priestess) at Kasuga Temple is worthy of praise as preserv-

220 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
ing much of the old simplicity. Among the old articles in the treasure-store
of Shozo-in not a single article is to be seen that is not of the highest value
and interest, and which may not help us to realise the conditions of old times
and the splendour and excellence of ancient workmanship. How happy I was
to have the opportunity of seeing all these old and valuable articles ! In all
my life I shall never have another such joy."
Now we come to a paragraph that shows some little want of
knowledge respecting the manner in which custom-house duties
may be altered.
" That the Import Duty on the Saki (Japanese Spirituous
Liquor) ought to be Diminished,
" Since the opening of Japan a certain amount of saki has been imported
into London ; but as the price there is very high it is not sold in large
quantities. The high price is due to the heavy import duty charged in
England. Now, the rule of the custom-house in England is to impose a very
heavy tax on the distilled spirit of alcohol, but only light duties on the others.
Now, the custom-house officers look upon the saki as obtained by distillation
and therefore impose a heavy duty on it ; but I have now examined personally
the method of brewing Japanese saki, and found out the mistake of the English
custom-house officers. Having some influence at the custom-house, I will
speak to the officers about it ; but the quickest and the best way of having
this altered is for the Home Department to write to the English ambassador
explaining this matter, and have it countersigned by him and sent to the
English Government. The Government will then give proper orders to the
custom-house officers to alter their present course ; and then the export of saki
will easily be increased.
" The author says : ' The middle and lower classes of Americans in every
part of the United States like " volatile liquors." Japanese saki has this
quality in a high degree, as that it is sure to meet with much demand in
America.' Dr. Dresser, struck by this fact, has entered into contracts for the
export of the Japanese saki, intending to send it to Tiffany Store in New York
City, to try its sale. Tiffany Store has advertised already that it has received
Japanese saki from Dr. Dresser, whose sharpness and judgment in commercial
affairs cannot be too highly admired."
This extract is certainly choice in its way. Saki is (as I knew
long before my visit to Japan) a colourless beer, and not a spirit,
as it is produced by fermentation only, and not by distillation of
a fermented fluid. It is therefore not chargeable with the spirit
duty. As for Americans liking " volatile liquors," and saki having
the quality " in a high degree," and my making a contract for the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 221
export of this exhilarating fluid to the great silversmith of New
York, I can only say that only from this report did I learn that
I had achieved this important business arrangement. I certainly
had the honour of being intrusted by Messrs. Tiffany and Co.
with the choice of any objects that I might think calculated to
aid in the development of their silversmith business ; and it is
interesting to me to know that, after a careful and most intelligent
consideration of these objects, Messrs. Tiffany and Co. produced
new works which secured to the firm the " grand prix " at the last
Paris exhibition. Whether amongst the things sent there were
one or two bottles filled with saki or not I cannot say ; but this
is the alpha and the omega of my dealings in this alcoholic
beverage. The business astuteness with which I am credited is, perhaps,
borne out by a small section of the report, in which I am repre
sented as expressing my opinion on " Perseverance of Mind," and
" That it is profitable not to gain much interest on articles of sale."
" Perseverance of Mind.
" Innumerable are the persons in every country who, either as individuals
or in companies, undertake to produce any articles in a large scale for extensive
sale, and who fail at the outset of their career owing to the deficiency of profit
to balance the expenditure. The cause may be explained as follows : — Such
persons stop short too soon through fear of losing not only the capital but also
of incurring fresh losses from the deficiency of profit to balance the outlay
needed to keep up the business. Intelligent persons, however, in such case
never stop so soon. They look after the management of their undertakings.
They are careful to see whether unnecessary hands are employed at work, and,
if it be so, to have these extra hands got rid of. Again, the materials for the
production of articles required may be too expensive, and in this case they
have them bought cheaper by some means. After many years' experience they
may succeed in producing good articles and gradually enlarging their sale.
This success entirely depends on the endurance and energy of the persons
concerned. The interests of all the traders in English manufactures suffered
from these causes when the methods of modern manufactures were first intro
duced. When cheese was first manufactured in America it was sold at the
low price of five cents per pound. It is evident that this will not pay for the
expenses of production. But its quality is now so much improved that it is
sold at twenty cents per pound. The cheese manufactured in Europe is sold

222 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
at sixty-two cents per pound. Hence the amount of American cheese imported
to England increases year after year. This success is the result of the efforts
of many years in America."
"That it is profitable not to gain much Interest on
Articles of Sale.
" There is what they call the commission of Toi-ya (an establishment
where articles of all kinds for sale are deposited and distributed). According
to what I have heard of it, the commission is ten per cent on the value of the
articles, and it is exacted by toi-ya. At present in China this commission is
only one-sixteenth part on the value of the articles. The Japanese production
being too costly, its price is increased in proportion, and the consequence is a
diminution in the amount of exports. The secret of carrying on national
manufactures at a profit lies in producing cheap articles at small profits, and in
largely increasing the amount of exportation. There was one trading company
in England which dealt in carpets, but few were purchased on account of the
dearness of price. The high price was charged to balance the expenses of the
establishment. The company was going to dissolve when one member urged
another course. He reformed the rules of the company, and sold carpets
without any profit, but lessened the size of carpet by only three longitudinal
lines when compared with the carpets hitherto made. With the profit thus
arising the company worked on. The lowering of the price brought an
increase of customers ; and the company not only exists still, but prospers.
The postage of England also differed proportionally with the distances. The
postage for the most remote parts of the country was fixed at one shilling, and
the people felt it inconvenient to pay so much. Thereupon the Government
changed the established regulations of postage, and determined that the
postage within the English dominion, distant or near, should be a penny. On
that occasion there was one who protested that the Government, by making
this change, would find itself involved in unexpected expenses ; but after the
change the people felt its convenience, and the number of postage stamps was
doubled. The revenue of the post-office increased manyfold. From these
two instances it may be seen clearly that cheapness insures an increase of
profits. Nor can it be doubted in trade generally that the interest of the
trader lies in selling his commodities cheap and in large quantities."
These wonderfully erudite disquisitions on the principles that
govern the success of companies will fully account for the flattering
remark contained at the end of the preceding paragraph.
Now we have a series of paragraphs which profess to set forth
my opinion of the various potters' wares and manufactures seen
during our journeyings. One finishes with this passage : —

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 223
" In London ladies and old ladies take great fancy to tea-cups and such
things. Those above the middle class indulge in purchasing silver trays ;
therefore, such trays manufactured in Japan as having gold and silver inlaid,
and which are not easily defaced, might become the rage of old patronesses.
Beside this, iron frame of fan, inlaid with gold and silver, might suit the
demand of genteel class."
I will trouble my readers with only one more extract from this
curious document. This I give because the information contained
in it concerns us all, inasmuch as it reveals the means by which
happiness can be secured. It is entitled
" On the Happiness of the People of the Interior Parts of Japan.
" I have travelled about the interior parts of Japan for many months, and
observed that the people's disposition is quiet, and everywhere they seem to be
contented with their humble vocation, and show no signs of poverty. Accord
ing to what I have heard they live in their own houses, and it is very rare to
find men and women beyond the age of twenty unmarried. This deserves
much praise, for marriage is the most important affair of one's life ; and one
who succeeds in perfecting the union is sure to derive happiness. Therefore, I
should say that when the Japanese people are compared with Europeans, their
happiness far exceeds that of the latter. In England, the people below the
middle class have no houses of their own ; and more than the half of this class
cannot marry, even when they attain to old age. They work hard, yet they
cannot escape poverty, or even meet their daily wants. In the eyes of such
people a country like Japan might well seem a land of happiness. But for
developing all arts, and making them a vast resource, the English are well
adapted. But for encouraging so happy a people as the Japanese to improve
their industries, some special modes of direction must be devised."
It must always be borne in mind, in dealing with translations
from one language to another, that difficulties may arise through
the idiomatic form that expression takes in the different languages,
and that the translation of technical terms is sometimes almost
impossible. This would be especially the case where our manu
factures were described, as a country like Japan, which is almost
without machinery, would not have in its language equivalents of
our technical terms. But supposing the Japanese translator suc
ceeded in conveying to his countrymen the meaning intended, it
is almost certain that the translation re-translated into English
would be so changed as to be almost unintelligible.

224 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
I must say that I found my good friend Sakata, so far as I
could judge, an excellent interpreter ; and when I explained the
nature of our manufacturing processes he always seemed to make
the person to whom I talked understand what was meant. But it
is one thing to explain a new process of weaving to a weaver, or a
new process of printing to a printer, and a very different thing to
make a person who knows nothing of a process understand its
nature. Sakata had but little knowledge of manufacturing processes,
and both he and Ishida laboured under this great disadvantage that
they could but seldom have recorded my remarks and explanations
till some time after they were given, even had they wished to do
so. But as it was evidently not intended that I should know that
this report was being prepared, the difficulty of making an exact
record of what occurred was greatly increased. Besides this,
Sakata, sometime after he had heard my explanations, translated
them to Ishida, who, in the absence of the little drawings that
generally accompanied such explanations, would probably fail to
understand what was meant.
This will account for some of the eccentricities of this report.
Such a mistake as that which describes " bread of high quality "
as made from ginger we can understand, for our term " Ginger
bread" would be most misleading to a foreigner. We must make
every excuse for a document such as the present ; but if this
rendering should fairly represent the Japanese document, I fear
that its publication is likely to mislead the Japanese seriously,
and to injure my reputation ; for in such explanations as that of
the carpet manufactures, any one having the most rudimentary
knowledge of the processes by which carpets are made, could
only think that I was trying to deceive the Japanese rather than
to instruct them.

PAR T II

CHAPTER I.
It has been said that " architecture is the material expression of
the wants, faculties, and the sentiments of the age in which it is
created," and that " style in architecture is the peculiar form that
expression takes under the influence of climate and materials at
command." It has also been asserted that " the influence of the
causes which act most powerfully on the genius of the Arts,
after the climate, is the manners, religion, and the changes to
which a nation is subject in its political state during the course of
ages." All who have studied the architecture of various countries
must feel the truth of these statements. In Japan they are borne
out in a most striking manner ; for here we have a form of
architecture marked by great individuality of expression, manifest
ing to a striking degree the nature of the material of which its
structures are built, and owing its special features to the condi
tions under which it exists, and the religions with which it is
associated. Before we can understand the true nature of Japanese archi
tecture, and of the arts which have sprung from it, something must
be said of the religion of the country ; and the knowledge gained
from a study of the religion will enable us to comprehend the
nature of many ornaments, as well as the reason of many striking
architectural features. Q

226 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
There are in Japan two religions — the Buddhist and the
Shinto. The former was the religion of the now dethroned
Shdgun, and the latter of the Mikado. As the Sh6gun was the
temporal ruler, and appeared in public, the religion which he
professed had magnificent shrines and temples of great beauty.
But as the Mikado up to the year 1868 was kept in seclusion,
and never allowed to pass outside the walls of his simple palace,
the religion of which he was chief was somewhat neglected. The
Shinto temples were few in number and small in their proportions
when compared with the magnificent shrines devoted to the service
of the Shogun's faith.
The Shinto religion is undoubtedly a very early form of
worship, and is of most primitive character. Europeans have been
much puzzled with its tenets, and have in some cases altogether
misunderstood them ; yet I cannot help thinking that much of
the mystery with which they surround it is entirely of their own
creating. This religion was called by the Japanese Kami-no-michi,
which means, — way, or doctrine of the gods — theology. The
Chinese form of the same is Shinto, and this expression has been
generally adopted in Japan for the national religion. But for
centuries Shinto has become modified through contact with
Buddhism, and but few temples now exist which have preserved
its ancient purity.
In his excellent work on Japan,1 Griffis tells us that in
Japanese mythology the universe is Japan, while the Mikado is
the descendant and representative of the gods who created heaven
and earth (Japan) ; hence it is the imperative duty of all Japanese
to obey him.
¦He then goes on to tell us of the nature of Shinto, and
says :
" The chief characteristics of Shinto are worship of ancestors and the
deification of emperors, heroes, and scholars, also adoration of the personified
forces of Nature. It employs no idols, images, or effigies in its worship. Its
symbols are the mirror and the gohei, — strips of notched white paper depend-
1 The Mikado's Empire, by W. E. Griffis. Harper Bros. , New York.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 227
ing from a wand of wood. It teaches no doctrine of the immortality of the
soul. " The native term for man is hito (light-bearer) ; and the ancient title of
the Mikado's heir-apparent was — ' light inheritor.' Fire and light (the sun)
have, from the earliest times, been objects of worship.
" The leading principles of Shinto are, imitation of the illustrious deeds of
ancestors, and effort to prove themselves worthy of such descent by purity of
life. It abhors uncleanness, and has rites and ceremonies for bodily purifica
tion. The priest must bathe and put on clean garments before officiating.
He must bind a strip of paper over his mouth so that his breath may not
pollute the offering ; and the ground dedicated to a religious festival is first
'purified by salt. Outside every Shinto temple are large troughs for washing,
the water being ladled from the trough and poured over the hands, and this
washing is enjoined before the offering of prayer.
" In olden times the emperors and priests performed ablutions for the
people. Later on, twice a year, at the festivals of purification, paper figures
symbolising the people were thrown into the river as an allegorical representa
tion of the cleansing of the nation from the sins of the past year.
" Later the Mikado deputed the minister of religion at Kioto to perform
the symbolical form for the people of the whole country.
" Thanksgiving, supplication, penance and praise, are all represented in
the prayers to the gods.
" Usually in prayer the hands are clapped twice, the head or the knees
bowed, and the petition made in silence. The worshipper often does not
enter the temple, but stands before it, first pulling a rope, which dangles down
over a gong, so as to call the attention of the Deity.
" The kami, or gods, hear the prayers before they are uttered, and prayer
is in silence. The Mikado daily offers prayers of special efficacy for his
people. Offerings are laid with great ceremony, by priesfs in white robes,
before the gods — as fruit and vegetables, fish and venison ; at night they become
the property of the priests. Game and fowl are offered as an act of worship,
but their lives are not sacrificed. They are hung up by the legs before the
temple for some time and are then set free. Being now sacred they are
exempt from harm. This practice of offering fowls now appears to have
ceased. "Before each temple stood a torii or bird rest " (Fig. 39). " This was formed
of two upright tree-trunks, on the top of which rested horizontally another tree
with projecting ends; underneath this was another smaller horizontal beam ; on
this perched the fowls offered up to the gods as chanticleers to give notice of
daybreak. In later times, as the practice of offering fowls has been discontinued,
the use of the torii has been almost forgotten. As a Shinto erection, it was
always of plain wood and consisted of right lines. The Buddhists, however,
painted or coppered its posts, curved its top piece, made it of stone or bronze.
The torii is a purely Japanese work.

228 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
"All the miyas, or Shinto temples, were rigidly simple — constructed of
pure wood — thatched and no paint, lacquer, gilding, metal, nor ornament
were allowed to adorn (defile) them.
" Within the temple, only the Gohei — or strips of notched white paper,
and the daily offerings are visible. In a closet of purest wood is a case of
wood containing the 'august spirit substance' or 'god seed.' This spirit
substance is usually a mirror, which in some temples is exposed to view.
" The priests are of various ranks, some receiving titles from the emperor,
the higher are court nobles and are strictly government officials. They dress
as other people do, some wearing white robes, however, when officiating, or court
dress when at court. They marry, rear families, and do not shave the head.
" Virgin priestesses also minister at the shrines.
" Many scholars doubt whether Shinto is a genuine product of Japan,.
regarding it as closely allied to the ancient religion of China which existed
before Confucius. Many of the Japanese myths are almost exactly like those
of China. " Motoori — the great modern revivalist of Shinto, teaches that morals were
invented by the Chinese because they were an immoral people, but in Japan
there was no necessity for any system of morals, as every Japanese acted
rightly if he only consulted his own heart. The duty of a good Japanese is
to obey the Mikado in all things without question ; it is only immoral people,
like the Chinese, who presume to discuss the character of their sovereigns.
With the Japanese, government and religion are the same thing."
This explanation of Shinto and its usages throws but little
light on the true character of the religion, and there are one or two
little particulars in which it is wrong, for we frequently find metal
and even gilt metal, used in connexion with Shinto buildings.
Even the great temples in Isd have certain of their parts encased
in gilt metal sockets.
Satow says — " There is good evidence that Shinto resembles
the ancient religion of China very closely. . . . The sword and
the dragon, the thyrsus staff and ivy, the staff of Esculapius, and
snakes most probably had the same religious significance as the
Japanese gohei, and as Siebold has remarked, it symbolised the
union of the two elements — male and female."
The Rev. S. R. Brown says — " Shinto is in no proper sense
of the term a religion, but has rather the look of an original
Japanese invention," while Sir Harry Parkes agrees with Satow
in thinking that it reached Japan from the continent of Asia. Sir

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 229
Harry says — "The practice of putting sticks with shavings or paper
attached in order to attract the attention of the spirits is observable
among certain hill tribes of India, as well as among the Ainos of
Yezo (the northern island of Japan) : the Hindoos, Burmese, and
Chinese, have converted these sticks into flags or streamers."
I had many conversations with Japanese of the Shinto faith
respecting their religion, and they invariably told me that prayers
for help were never offered to their gods ; and that it was a religion
intended, primarily, to keep alive the sense of gratitude. At the
shrines dedicated to their great benefactors — whether a warrior as
Ojin the emperor, who was deified as the god of war, or the maker
of a harbour, or the reclaimer of waste ground — they offered
thanks to the deified individual who had benefited the country.
But upon being told that the immortality of the soul was not
admitted by the believers in Shinto, I inquired why they wasted
time in thanking an individual whom they regarded as altogether
extinct, and who could in no way understand the nature of the
homage offered. In reply to my question, I was informed that it
was nice to keep alive the sense of gratitude, and that it was
pleasant to offer thanks even to one who could not hear.
Summed up, Shinto consists of fire worship,1 hero worship,
and phallic worship, — three of the early worships of mankind.
1 I cut the following paragraph from a recent issue of one of our daily papers : —
" Relics of Fire Worship. — On the last day of the year, old style, which falls
on the 12th of January, the festival of 'The Clavie ' takes place at Burghead, a fishing
village, near Forres. On a headland in that village stands an old Roman altar, locally
called the 'Douro.' On the evening of January 12th a large tar-barrel is set on fire and
carried by one of the fishermen round the town, while the assembled folks shout an
holloa. If the man who carries the barrel falls, it is an evil omen. The man with the
lighted barrel having gone with it round the town, carries it up to the top of the hill,
and places it on the Douro. More fuel is immediately added. The sparks as they fly
upwards are supposed to be witches and evil spirits leaving the town ; the people,
therefore, shout at and curse them as they disappear in vacancy. When the burning tar-
barrel falls in pieces, the fishwives rush in and endeavour to get a lighted bit of wood from
its remains ; with this light the fire on the cottage hearth is at once kindled, and it is
considered lucky to keep in this flame all the rest of the year. The charcoal of the
Clavie is collected and put in bits up the chimney, to prevent the witches and evil
spirits coming into the house. The Douro [i.e. the Roman altar) is covered with a
thick layer of tar from the fires that are annually lighted upon it. Close to the Douro
is a very ancient Roman well, and, close to the well, several rude but curious Roman
sculptures can be seen let into a garden wall."

23o JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
On feast nights Shinto temples are surrounded by fires which
seem to constitute an important element in the festival ; and at
Futamigaura we found pilgrims assembled to worship the rising
sun, as seen between two rocks connected by a straw band
from which the Shinto symbols are pendent. Here, then, we
have the worship of fire and of the sun — the latter being the
great source of heat, and the giver of heat to the world. Hero
worship is everywhere manifest, and temples are erected to the
great of all time. The manifestation of phallic worship — the
mystery of the origin of life, is very conspicuous. But in a
few years all outward symbols of this element of Shinto faith
will be destroyed, striking and marvellous though they yet are,
for the Government have ordered their demolition.
We have seen that the great emblem of the Shinto religion is
a mirror. At the principal Shinto temples at Kamiji-yama in
Ise a mirror is preserved in the most sacred of the buildings ;
the mirror having been brought down from heaven and given by
Amaterasu to Ninigi ; while imitations of this mirror occur in
the different Shinto churches. It will also be remembered that
we saw on the road to Nikko priests carrying to a great festival an
ark containing the mirror.
The mirror is said to symbolise the manner in which actions
and thoughts should be open and visible ; for as the mirror reveals
our image, so our acts and thoughts ought to be capable of being
revealed without our being ashamed.
This principle is rigidly carried out in the construction of
every Shinto temple.
Every part of the edifice, whether seen or unseen, manifests
an amount of honest workmanship which in its finish is simply
perfect ; and in no part of the building can we find slovenly work,
however small or perfectly concealed the part may be. Here we
have the very essence of Shinto, and an embodiment in spirit of
that passage in our own Scriptures : " Whatsoever thy hand findeth
to do, do it with all thy might." In Japan the principle permeates
all society, and is carried out by the work performed in daily
life.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 231
In Japan Shinto is brought home to the people, be they of
this faith or be they Buddhists. For centuries the Mikado has
been regarded as the god incarnate of the Shinto Church, and as a
being altogether too sacred for human eye to rest upon. In every
house there is a little space, more or less cut off from the principal
room, with a raised floor, and the end almost enclosed. On this
raised dais the Mikado would sit should he ever visit the house ;
and this niche has come to be associated in the Japanese mind
with their gods. It is in this niche that household offerings are
made ; and on New Year's Day I found a mass of dough, in the
form of a cake, offered in each of these sacred enclosures. Usually
a vase, containing a flower which is offered to the gods, and a
censer, stand on the dais.
Were the Mikado to visit the house, the person serving his
food would not see him, but would pass the viands through the
opening at the bottom of the side partition.
There is this strange mingling of Shinto with the life of the
Japanese people, whatever be their faith ; and even the Mikado,
although the head of the Shinto church, offers prayers for the
nation on certain occasions at a Buddhist shrine.
This little altar-like enclosure which we find in every house is
constructed according to rule, and in it that finish is demanded
which characterises all Shinto altars ; thus this royal enclosure
gives a sort of keynote with which the whole house must be in
harmony. To me, it appears that we have here the cause, to a great
extent, of the excellence which characterises most Japanese
productions. This little altar gets loved. Offerings are made on
it in seasons of prosperity. The flowers so much cherished are
arranged in this sacred niche. Thus the Japanese have constantly
before them a sample of excellent work, and this sample they
have learnt from their early childhood to revere.
No one can have failed to notice that all good Japanese works,
as well as most which are inferior, are as well finished in the parts
that are unseen as in the parts that are seen. I have here before
me a box which is carved all over, yet the best work is on the

232 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
bottom. Here is a tray, on the under surface of which is a spray
as carefully drawn as the figures on the upper surface ; and here is
a pot which has a pattern on the bottom as beautiful as that on the
parts usually seen, if not more so. These are, however, somewhat
exceptional instances ; but while it is not usual to find ornament
on the bottom of a Japanese work, we yet observe that the finish
of the parts hidden is equal to that of the parts exposed.
The decoration on the bottom of an object would seem to owe
its origin to the fact that all persons receive pleasure from an
agreeable surprise, and to the feeling, common to all Japanese
gentlemen, that whatever is worn or whatever is used shall look
simple and unpretending, and yet be worthy of most minute ex
amination. A walking-stick which Mr. Yeno — the late Japanese
minister to England — kindly gave me appears at first sight to be
a mere rude hedge-stick ; but upon close examination it is seen
to have most exquisitely cut metal insects creeping over it, — some
being half buried in the bark, some crawling out of the little holes,
and some running along the surface. Wooden netsukies, or large
button-like ornaments, hanging from the girdle are preferred to
those of ivory, because they are more quiet in colour and less
obtrusive. But as gentlemen prefer the more subdued effects
the wooden carvings are generally better than those in ivory. In
writing-boxes on the same principle we generally find a much
more lovely decoration inside the lid than on the top. But it is
the excellence of the work, whether seen or unseen, that springs
from the principles of Shinto, and not the surprises of which we
now speak.
Shinto, so far as I could learn, has but little effect in producing
love for nature. It causes adoration of the sun ; and it' is from
the sun that the warmth is derived which stimulates plants to
growth and life. Also, without its genial rays no animal life could
be sustained in the world. But it is to Buddhism we must look
for that strange love of all created things which characterises the
Japanese in such a marked manner !
Through the labours of Professor Max Miiller and others we
have become more or less acquainted with the nature of Buddhism.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 233
I will content myself, therefore, with remarking that Buddhism in
Japan consists of a number of sects (about a hundred and fifty),
some of which are almost wholly spiritual, while others are utterly
idolatrous. A Buddhist will not destroy an insect or injure the smallest
of created things. The child will play with the butterfly, but will
not harm it ; and I have seen butterflies alight on children's hands.
Birds are not afraid of man, for they have long since learnt to
confide in a people that never hurt them ; and wild-fowl are as
safe on the moat of Tokio Castle, although they are in the centre
of a large city, as they could be if removed altogether from the
abodes of man.
To me the love which the Japanese seem to have for birds,
insects, and flowers, is most charming. There seems to be in
Japan a harmony between man and the lower creatures such as
I had never before seen ; yet there are peculiarities respecting
Japanese affections which we ought not to pass unnoticed. While
they love all flowers, the Japanese prefer those to which they have
to look up, — as the flowers of trees ; and it is not uncommon to
find in their illustrations poets kneeling under trees and looking
up adoringly at the blossoms. The almond -tree is a special
favourite, and for them it has especial beauty ; thus they com
pliment ladies by speaking of their " almond eyes." The cherry
is also a favourite tree ; but this is associated in the mind of many
with pleasant picnics ; for, as we have seen, some of the happiest
excursions which the Japanese make are to cherry-covered hills
where families congregate to enjoy a pleasant day. The almond
is the flower of spring. The sacred bean (Nelumbium) is the
flower of summer. The chrysanthemum is the flower of autumn.
We have just seen that the almond typifies beauty, and we may
add that the Nelumbium is sacred. Buddha sits upon the flower,
and the Buddhist prays that he may have a lily in the world to
come. The chrysanthemum is imperial, and bears the same rela
tion to Japan that the rose does to England. It is also the chief
of the seven favourite flowers of the country.
Such associations are common to man in all parts, of the world,

234 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
and they must not be confounded with that love of nature which
owes its origin to the religion of Buddha.
The two great facts now before' us which concern our study
of Japanese art are these, — Shinto, which has influenced the home
of every Japanese for a long series of centuries, has stimulated
the people to the most conscientious work ; and Buddhism has
created a love for all natural objects. These two influences will
account for many of those qualities which characterise Japanese
works, be they temples, objects of utility, or ornaments.
Before we begin to consider Japanese architecture itself we
must look at one or two of those circumstances which have always
modified the architecture of a nation, as the climate, the materials
at command for the erection of edifices, and the wants which
have consequently to be met by the production of a building.
¦' Although Japan has a considerable rainfall, the rain is almost
exclusively confined to one season of the year (about six weeks,
between the end of April and the early part of June), and this
wet period is followed by a continuance of hot weather.
This is a general statement, but the climate is by no means
the same throughout the whole of Japan. In the central portion
cold is intense on some winter days, while the heat is great in
summer ; but the long and severe frosts of the north are unknown
at the Satsuma end of the country.
_> The Japanese seek shelter from the rain, and they desire houses
which give shade from the sun. They also require buildings
which allow of the freest circulation of air. They are a hardy
people, and can stand cold, and in the warmer season lead what
is practically an outdoor life. At this period of the year, and
indeed through most of the winter days, the window-like surround
ings of their houses are removed, when all that remains is a roof
supported on uprights.
But although a Japanese house is a building intended to afford
shelter from rain and sun, the nature of the building is influenced
by other causes.
Japan is a land of earthquakes. And this brings us to one of
the most singular facts connected with the structure of Japanese

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 235
buildings ; — a method adopted with the special view of insuring
safety during these periods of the earth's vibration.
Japanese houses and temples are put together in a solid and
simple manner, each work being complete in itself, and having an
altogether independent existence. Thus a Japanese house is in
no way built upon foundations, or fixed to the ground on which
it rests. It stands upon a series of legs, and these legs usually
rest on round-topped stones of such a height as will, during the
rainy season, support the timber uprights above any water that
may lie upon the ground.
It is obvious that while an object fixed to the earth might, if
rocked, be broken off from the ground or become strained and
destroyed, that that which is loose would simply oscillate and settle
down again after the cause of its vibration had ceased. For in
stance, we may cause a chair or a table to rock by jolting it, but
in a very short time it will become stationary and will be unin
jured ; whereas, were the legs fixed, the application of a small
amount of pressure on the upper part (especially if the top was
heavy), or any upheaving of a portion of the ground on which it
rests, would be likely to injure or destroy it.
I am aware that much damage has occurred through some of
the severe earthquakes felt- in Japanese cities ; and one that passed
across Yedo within the memory of living men caused great de
struction of property and loss of life. I am confident that such
calamities as these are due simply to the fact that the Japanese
place tile roofs upon their houses, for these tiles can readily be
shaken loose, and are heavy and dangerous.
The Japanese, as I have said in an early part of this book,
suffer much from fire, and it is probable that the dread of falling
sparks led to the use of tiles instead of thatch about five hun
dred years since. Yet thatched buildings are even now common
in Japan. Thatch in Japan is formed of straw, certain fibrous
materials, or layers of the inner bark of a kind of cone-bearing
tree. It looks well, but in warm weather is highly combustible.
Some of the prettiest roofs that I have seen in Japan are formed
of what I might describe as little wooden tiles. Now there are

236 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
many substances known to chemists, as I have already said, which
will render both vegetable fibres and wood almost wholly incom
bustible ; hence wooden roofs treated with such substances might
be advantageously used, and thus the one objection which at present
exists to a Japanese building, as a thing intended to resist the
shock of an earthquake, would be removed. It would be interest
ing to know whether injury resulted to the inmates of any thatched
buildings during recent earthquakes.
In an account of the destruction of Chios by earthquake given
in the Standard of April 12th last, the correspondent says : —
" Climbing over the hills which surrounded the town, one looks down upon
a confused heap of ruins, where little more than a week ago stood one of the
most prosperous cities of Asiatic Turkey. Out of three thousand houses which
were standing there, not a hundred are now habitable.
" I descended a long, narrow street leading to Marina, through the once
most populous quarters of the city. In doing so I had to climb over successive
heaps of debris from ten to fifteen feet high, lying between tottering walls
rent into most fantastic shapes.
" Some of the houses had been lifted bodily off their foundations. Others
were crushed into shapeless heaps, with here and there a single wall or minaret
left standing above the chaos.
" Right and left of the direction I took were narrow streets, which are now
so entirely blocked as to be undistinguishable. Here and there I caught sight
of a row of houses with window panes, doors, and balconies comparatively
uninjured, whilst behind this deceptive framework the roof and every story had
been torn from the front walls.
*****
" The bazaar, which is wooden, suffered little, and the markets are now
gradually being reopened. They are comparatively well stocked, owing to
provisions constantly pouring in from other parts of the island."
Here we have an instance of the value of wooden buildings in
a land subject to earthquakes ; and certainly there is but little
danger of being injured from a shock if the building is of wood
and the roof is of a material which is light and can be held securely
in its place. Yet the Europeans in Tokio are encouraging the
Japanese to build European houses with stones and bricks ; and
the Government offices are of these materials, while it is proposed
that the new Mikado's palace be also of European character.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 237
To me nothing could be more absurd than this departure from
architectural custom which has had the sanction of ages ; and the
result of this incongruous innovation will probably be a return to
the native style of building- after the occurrence of some dire
calamity. It may be argued that Japanese castles are built of stone ;
but it must be remembered that these are formed of vast blocks
so arranged, one on the other, that each wall is of pyramidal
shape, slanting from the base to the apex in the old Egyptian
manner. These walls are also supported from within, and are
tied together with timbers of great size ; indeed it would almost be
fair to say that the castle towers are wooden buildings of immense
strength faced with slanting walls which consist of stones, — each
stone being in some cases more than twenty feet in length.
It would obviously be impossible to build ordinary houses of
vast masses of stone, or to give to their walls that thickness and
slope which would render them to any degree safe against shocks
of earthquake. But the new buildings erected in Tokio have
neither of these safeguards against injury ; hence it appears that
in their erection a risk is run which seems most unwise.
A notable instance of the Japanese understanding of the
conditions under which they exist occurs in the manner of giving
security to pagodas. Pagodas are often of great height, yet
many have existed for seven hundred years, and have withstood
successfully the many vibrations of the ground, which must have
inevitably achieved their overthrow had they been erections of
stone or brick.
When I first ascended a pagoda I was struck with the amount
of timber employed in its construction ; and I could not help
feeling that the material here wasted was even absurdly excessive.
But what offended my feelings most was the presence of an
enormous log of wood, in the centre of the structure, which
ascended from its base to its apex. At the top this mass of
timber was nearly two feet in diameter, and lower down a log
equally large was bolted to each of the four sides of this central
mass.

238 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
I was so surprised with this waste of timber that I called the
attention of my good friend Sakata to the matter ; and especially
denouncedthe use of the centre block. To my astonishment he
told me that the structure must be strong to support the vast
central mass. In my ignorance I replied that the centre part
was not supported by the sides, but upon reaching the top I found
this monstrous central mass suspended, like the clapper of a bell ;
and when I had descended I could, by lying on the ground, see
that there was an inch of space intervening between it and the
earth which formed the floor of the pagoda.
The pagoda is to a Buddhist temple what a spire is to a
Christian church ; and by its clever construction it is enabled to
retain its vertical position even during the continuance of earth
quake shocks : for by the swinging of this vast pendulum the
centre of gravity is kept within the base.
I now understood the reason for that lavish use of timber which
I had so rashly pronounced to be useless ; and I see that there
is a method in Japanese construction which is worthy of high
appreciation. In the absence of any other instance the employment
of this scientific method of keeping the pagoda upright shows how
carefully the Japanese have thought out the requirements to be met.
In a work like the present, which treats of architecture some
what incidentally and with the view of throwing light rather upon
the decorative arts which have arisen out of it than of examining
the structural methods employed, I cannot afford to enter minutely
into Japanese construction. All I can do in the present work is
to offer a few illustrations of the principles which govern their
methods of construction and of certain effects produced.
The drawing which is given (Fig. 41) of the east gate of
Nishi-hongwan-ji at Kioto may be taken as an example. Each
end consists of three pillars or uprights — one circular and two
square, tied together by horizontal members. Between these are
carved panels. The central of the three horizontal members that
tie the uprights together is flat, and protrudes considerably beyond
the uprights. Above is a system of brackets which act as a
cornice, and by which a heavy thatched roof is sustained.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

239

A glance at our sketch (Fig. 41) will at once show the
beautiful manner in which this work is framed together. The
stones which form the bases of
the columns, and on which the
shafts loosely rest, are at once
apparent. The gate as a whole ,
will be noticed as a work con
structed with due regard to
strength as well as beauty.
In this gateway there is an
amount of complication in the FlG. 72._compound bracket.
upper bracketwork which mav A A' Sect!ons of horizontal ™™^s carried by
r r J the brackets.
render it somewhat indistinct to
those not conversant with this method of building; but by reference
to illustrations 72, 73, and 74, the principle which guided the
architect will be better understood.
In speaking of structure reference ought to be made to the

Fig. 73. — Entrance-gate of the Temple of Dai-butz, Kioto.
bridges of Japan. These, some have said, prove that the Japanese
have no true understanding of the principles of construction.
To me it seems that we might as well deny the existence
of structural knowledge in England, because in certain parts of

24<3

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE, ETC.

the country we find planks spanning rivers, and other ill contrived
arrangements for the crossing of brooks, as deny to the Japanese
a knowledge which they possess to a remarkable degree, because
we find in their bridges instances of false construction.
Japanese bridges are of many kinds: — some are most primitive
in character, others are of a complex nature ; while some show an

Fig. 74.— Bracketing supporting Roof of Temple-gate, Chionijin, Kioto.

understanding of true structural qualities. Figs. 75, 76, 77, 78,
and 79 give native drawings of some common bridges of the
country. The most simple bridge — if bridge it may be called — used
for the passage of rivers where there is but little traffic consists
of two trunks of -trees placed side by side, and having one ex
tremity fixed at one side of the river, while the other, which reaches
within jumping distance of the opposite side, is held in its position
by a rope fastened to a peg at some little distance up the stream.
(Fig. 80). But from this they advance through every conceivable
degree of complexity.
There are bridges formed of piles of fagots (Fig. 75). There
are bridges made of straight bamboos, resting on supports in the
river so that the bridge is flat (Fig. 76). There are others similarly

Native Bridges, from Blocks drawn and engraved in Japan.
R

242

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

formed, only with the centre raised so that the bridge somewhat
resembles an inverted V- There is also a bridge in Japan formed
of stout planks, which rest on the decapitated branching tops of

Fig. 80. — Simple Bridge.

two large trees. There are bridges supported by a complicated
system of bracketing ; there are others consisting of semicircular
arches ; while in Kioto we find what is called the " spectacle

Fig. 8i. — Arched Bridge.

bridge," — a bridge with two circular openings through which the
water flows, But what has caused Europeans to regard the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 243
Japanese as devoid of a knowledge of structure is the fact that
some of the bridges which have the arch form are yet propped by
supports (Figs. 77, 78, 79, and 81). As these supports come in
contact with the under surface of the arch, such bridges reveal no
understanding of structural qualities. So far as I have seen, these
curved, and yet supported, bridges are invariably formed of wood ;
hence they differ widely from arched structures formed of stone.
Yet if Japan contains many illustrations of false structure, these
do not prove that Japan does not possess men who have perfect
understanding of true structural principles.
The Japanese have never been great engineers, but they
have, undoubtedly, been great architects. Architecture involves
a knowledge of structure, but engineering does not necessarily
involve any knowledge of the beautiful, as we so often discover to
our dismay in England. A man may be able to construct an edifice
so that it will stand securely, but he may be altogether unable to
erect a beautiful building. No one could look upon either the great
temples of Shiba or of Nikko without feeling that the architect of
these glorious buildings understood perfectly the principles both
of construction and of beauty.
One great peculiarity of Japanese construction is the system
of bracketing which it so often employs — a system which it
carries to a remarkable extent in some cases ; and which it almost
invariably uses for the support of the overhanging roofs of richly
decorated temples.
An elaborate system of bracketing frequently intervenes
between the roof and the uprights, and acts as a sort of cornice
(see Figs. 41 and 70). In some cases this system is carried to an
extent which seems altogether extravagant. (In Figs. 68 and
74 we have the most complicated arrangements of brackets that
I saw while in Japan.) In many cases we have brackets em
bedded in the wall where plaster intervenes between the timbers,
as in Figs. 46 and 73, and in internal work they are almost as
common as on the exterior of buildings. As the reader may have
some difficulty in understanding the nature of these brackets, we
have given a separate view of one, in which two of the horizontal

244 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
members carried are shown in section, while others would rest
on the uppermost supports (Fig. 72).
This bracketing is certainly the most distinctive and charac
teristic feature of the Japanese systems of construction ; and
while in some cases it is both useful and ornamental, in others
it is carried to an extent that is almost absurd. But while our
Early English architecture is simple and constructively correct, we
find in the Later Florid or Decorated work much that is excessive
and worthy only of condemnation : Henry the Seventh's chapel
at Westminster is, when considered in relation to its structural
qualities, more false than any building that I saw during my
travels in Japan.
Internally the construction of buildings varies much. In some
cases we have ceilings, while in others a more or less open
structure is employed. When the structure is open, something
resembling our " King-post " is often used ; but instead of one
upright we generally find two standing on the horizontal beam
from which they rise, as in Fig. 47. In other cases this
member is single, as in Fig. 73, while in some instances it is
dispensed with altogether.
When we find a ceiling it is almost invariably arranged, as in
the temples of Shiba, Uyeno (Figs. 1 7 and 1 8), and Nikko, into
squares of from eighteen to twenty inches in diameter, and has a
somewhat coffered character. In this case each coffer may be
decorated ; or may be divided into a series of small coffers, each
of which is not more than one inch square (Fig. 1 8). In both of
these cases we find the crossings of the framed structure tied
by perforated or hammered metal casings (Figs. 17 and 18).
In those instances in which each coffer is divided into a series of
small squares the ceiling is connected with the walls by a large
coving, traversed vertically by raised bars similar to those which
divide the coffers into squares (Fig. 18).
The Japanese affirm that all such ceilings as those of which
we have just spoken, and all such covings as that just men
tioned are of Corean origin ; and that they are not native
inventions. Thus we have another instance of the strange

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

245

influence which Corea appears to have exercised upon the arts of
Japan. To me it seemed strange that these simple and beautiful ceil
ings should owe their origin to any portion of Continental Asia ;

Fig. 82.— Column and Tie-Beams from the Chion-in, Kioto.
for I saw nothing in any way resembling them in the temples
of China or any other part of Asia that I have visited. Yet
one is almost led to believe that the Japanese are right in
referring many of both their arts and those of the Chinese to the

246

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Coreans, and that this nation has at some time had arts and
manufactures of a most artistic character. But it cannot be
doubted that many of the arts of Japan, as well as the ornaments
employed by the Japanese, owe their origin to Central Asia, for
such temples as that of Howo-do in Uji could only have been
decorated by one having experience of Indian art.
Fig. 8 2 gives a portion of internal structure, where a decorated
circular column bears a horizontal beam placed flat-wise, and to
which strength is given by a vertically placed timber. Over the top of
.jiiaiiiH^^iiiiaiBii

Fig. 83. — Plan of part of the Open Roof in the Gatehouse of the Temple Tofuku-zi.
the column rises a system of brackets supporting horizontal mem
bers ; but a timber which would rest on the advancing bracket A,
Fig. 82, has been removed, as it would hide that shown in our illus
tration, and by which the uppermost horizontal member is supported.
P'g- 83 gives us a plan (as seen from below) of a portion of
open-roof structure where the brackets spreading from the tops of
the columns may be observed, as well as the timbers which rest
upon them.
When we consider Japanese buildings as structures adapted to

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

247

withstand the earthquake, the character of the windows, which are
light wooden frames covered only with paper, should not be over
looked (Figs. 37 and 84). It will be apparent to all that the use of
glass would be accompanied
by great danger in a land
subject to earthquake shocks :
and while paper has the dis
advantage of not being trans
parent, the Japanese suffer
but little from its slight opac
ity, as during the day some
of the window - slides are
always removed from their
places ; and to an abundant
admission of fresh air the
Japanese make no objection.
Indian windows (Fig. 85)
are only Japanese windows
cut in stone, and they clearly
show that they are copies of
structures which were origin
ally formed of wood.
Enough has, perhaps, been
already said to show that the
Japanese have a knowledge
which enables them to pro
duce buildings of a most en
during character, — calculated to resist the shocks of earthquake,
and to fulfil the conditions demanded by considerations of climate
and the materials at command.
Although not strictly belonging to the subject, there is a feature
which we ought to notice, as it is of considerable importance when
viewed in relation to the material of Japanese buildings. I mean
the metal sockets in which the ends of all timbers of elaborate
Japanese buildings are incased. The sockets are used to exclude
water from contact with the cross-grained portions of the wood.

Jnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

:E1  IE El  IE EL_

]QJ ]?[ I

11 11 11 11 11

JI JC ! Ji Ud

ini ill ini iiii ni

jnnnnn[zin[Z]Q[z

II l| IIII IU| II II ll_l|

nr^ 'ni 11 Hi ii

Fig. 84. — Part of a Window.
The window is formed of laths over which paper is
" strained," — the paper being on the outside.

248

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 85. — Indian Lattice Window formed of
pierced Stone.

In Fig. 44 it will be noticed, as I have already pointed out, that
the bases of the columns are of stone, and that upon these stone
bases rest loosely the vertical
columns which form the main
supports of the gateway. It
will also be seen that the
portions of the columns rest
ing on these bases are incased
in bronze sockets, on which
ornaments are raised by ham
mering. The ends of the
horizontal members are also
incased in a similar manner,
as will be seen in the same
illustration. Fig. 43 gives
the same horizontal members
as the cut last referred to, as
well as the whole of the pierced and carved panel which we see
but in part in Fig. 44.
In some few instances metal-work is added for the sake of mere
effect, and not with the view of serving any useful purpose. On
the corners of the frame in which the carving occurs (Fig. 43) we
have metal bindings which are useful ; whereas in the centre of
each side an ornamental metallic plac occurs which only serves a
decorative purpose. As a rule, however, the metal bindings are
used with the view of protecting the cross-grain ends of wood from
decay through contact with water.
Another method employed throughout the whole of Japan
with the view of saving wood from decay is that of using little
roofs in order to protect the end grain from moisture. I have
seen individual posts roofed, as well as palings around enclosed
land. Indeed, everything is roofed in Japan ; and in some cases
the complicated roofing of boardings, railings, posts, lamps, etc., is
as curious as it is interesting.
A word may now be said on the methods of building. Pecu
liarities occur most frequently in their walls ; for these, unlike their

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

249

houses, are often formed in part of hewn or rag -stone, while
the upper portion consists of a kind of lath and plaster-work, of
tiles placed horizontally with mortar between, or of various other
materials ; but in all cases the wall is carefully roofed, and thus
protected from the weather. Figs. 35,
45, and 86 give typical wall formations.
One has a boulder-stone base and stone
corners, whereas the other two have
bases formed of hewn stone, — the one
of rectangular blocks, the other of
" rag." These latter have wooden
corners (and this is the most charac
teristic arrangement), and have five
horizontal lines running throughout their
entire length. Whenever these lines
occur the wall is of dull yellow colour
(yellow -ochre) and the lines are white.
This arrangement of lines indicates, as I
have before said, that the high priest of
the temple is a near relation of the
Mikado. It will be noticed that these walls
are more or less conical in shape, being
broader at the base than at the upper portion ; but we have
already pointed out that wherever stone is used in the con
struction of a building, or any material other than wood, this
system of building is employed ; and that by it alone the disas
trous effects of earthquake shocks can be averted. The canopy
covering the water-tank at Shiba is supported on monolith granite
columns, but these slant inwards at the top (see Fig. 1 6).
In the case of large temples and elaborate shrines, as those of
Nikk6 and Shiba, we often find wall within wall, each enclosing a
court. The innermost of these walls surrounds the central and most
important of the temple buildings. These inner walls are generally
differently constructed from those which form the outermost enclo
sure of the temple buildings, and are in some cases very beautiful.

Fig.

— End of Wall at Kiku
Uji, near Kioto.

25o JAPAN : ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Here we generally find a solid stone base, from which rise
vertical wooden members held together by horizontal ties. These
latter are so disposed, that above and below we get a long narrow
panel, while in the centre we have a space of much larger size. In
such a wall as this the horizontal tie-pieces are frequently deco
rated and the panels filled in with carved-work, the whole being
coloured and roofed over (Fig. 69). A panel similar to those of
which I here speak is figured on page 182 (Fig. 62); but this
particular carving is from the castle of Nagoya, where it is situated
between two rooms, from both of which it can be seen. It is
carved on both sides, though on each surface the pattern is
somewhat different.
In some cases the bases of walls are " pointed ;" but whenever
this occurs we have no mere facing of the line of mortar which
exists between the stones with a harder and more durable material,
but the formation in mortar of some kind of semicircular, or semi-
eliptic ridge three inches in diameter, and protruding to a consider
able distance from the surface of the stone. This curious method of
" pointing " gives a strange aspect to many Japanese walls ; but
the effect produced is, to my eye, more strange than beautiful.
We now come to the consideration of Japanese architecture,
or beautiful building ; for architecture is not mere building, but
the art of raising edifices which are beautiful as well as useful.
But before going into its aesthetic qualities we should glance at its
origin and history ; yet the data necessary for tracing the develop
ment of Japanese architecture are so imperfect that little can be
said concerning it.
Although the temples of Ise have been rebuilt at the end of
every third term of seven years, every plank and every post now
to be found in their construction is of precisely the same shape,
and of the same size, as those of the original structure which was
erected nineteen centuries since. We have here, then, evidence
that the present method of building was known to the Japanese at
the time of Rome's ancient greatness ; and while speaking of this
temple I may say that the circular pieces of wood, which rest in a
horizontal series on the cresting of each roof, can be demonstrated

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 251
to owe their origin to circular bundles of thatch, which were
strapped over longitudinally placed reeds to form with them the
cresting ofthe roof (Fig. 53).
The next building, as to date, with which I am acquainted is
that used for the reception of the Mikado's treasures at Nara. It
was built more than a thousand years since ; and while this, like
the buildings of Ise, stands upon legs resting loosely on stones, its
sides are formed of horizontally-placed triangular blocks of wood,
with their points outwards, arranged like the timbers of the log
buildings in Russia (Fig. 30).
I am unable to trace the history of Japanese building during
the next three centuries ; for, until the erection of the great
Buddhist shrines from seven to five hundred years since, no
advance in architecture seems to have taken place in the country.
But the development of Buddhism, and the patronage which it
received from the Shogun, gave a marvellous impetus to archi
tecture, and it now entered upon a florid and highly decorated
period. Chinese buildings appear to owe their origin to a tent or a
junk. The tent obviously consisted of a horizontal pole, over
which a fabric was thrown, supported at its ends by crossed sticks.
The temples of Ise show the crossed supports in a marked man
ner ; but there is here none of that swaying down of the roof
which would indicate the tent origin, and which especially char
acterises Chinese edifices ; yet in many Japanese buildings the
horizontal pole is most marked, while the crossed supports have
entirely disappeared.
In the water-tank of Shiba (Fig. 16) we have an illustration
of this state of things ; and here we have that curious bending-
over of the roof as we approach the gable end which would
represent the fall of drapery, — a peculiarity equally noticeable on
that gatehouse of Nikkd which we figure on page 209.
In some cases the architecture of a nation has been derived
from primitive buildings which are not of the tent character.
This is the case with those edifices which the Egyptians raised
from two to three thousand years back at Dendera, Edfou, Thebes,

252 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
and other places, where we find the columns consisting of bundles
of papirii, lotii, and other plants bound together with cords or
withes, and in some cases partially enveloped in a cloth wrapper
on which hieroglyphs are painted.
Although these columns are formed of stone, their origin is as
apparent as if we had the original bundles of plants before us ;
thus the bundles of reeds or of flowers which were used to form the
walls of the primitive Egyptian dwelling became the prototype of
those massive columns which exist to this day on the banks of the
Nile. While the origin of Egyptian, architecture is thus apparent, it
must not be supposed that the stone columns of Egyptian temples
were mere copies in permanent material of the objects which
formed their prototype ; for they are works in which the parts
have all been subordinated to their positions as architectural
members, and in which the plants have been so idealised as to
become consistent ornaments of a structural part of a building.
A consideration of Japanese architecture makes it clear that
certain structural members were, in some edifices at least, adorned
either on feast days or generally with drapery, decorated papers,
and the skins of animals ; for the capitals of their columns are in
many cases decorated with imitations of these draped around
them. In one case, as that in the temple of Chion-in at
Kioto, a knotted cord, terminating in pendent tassels, appears to
show that this drapery was originally tied around the column
(see Fig. 82).
Immediately above this column, and enveloping the beam which
rests upon it, is paper folded in an angular manner, — a method of
folding common to this day in Japan ; while on the tie-piece on
which the paper-bound beam rests we have the head of a monster,
either represented as swimming in the water, or as the source from
which water flows. In another column from the same temple
(Fig. 87) the head of a monster forms the upper portion of its
decoration ; and in both instances the columns themselves are
entirely decorated with water, the crested waves of which are
breaking in a curious and conventional manner.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

253

It is difficult to understand why the columns and horizontal
members of a building should be decorated with waves ; for a
column of water seems an absurd idea, unless
we connect it with the water-spout, which may
be common in a district visited by typhoons. If
this be its origin, such columns may have some
mythical association, in the minds of the Japanese,
with a strange natural phenomenon which they
dread. While I have no reason for saying that
such is the case, it must be remembered that all
Buddhistic art tends to remind the worshipper
of the power of the Buddhist's god over all
created things ; and that it images forth such
works as man should love, adore, or dread.
Fig. 8 8 gives us the base of a column decorated
with water ornamentally treated.
Strange as it is that a column should be
decorated with water, we yet find the " wave-
scroll " used by the Egyptians, and then by
the Greeks, on various parts of their buildings.
Certain zigzag arrangements of lines, which
symbolised water, were also used on the walls
and on the ceilings of Egyptian temples and
tombs ; thus the use of water in strange and
unexpected positions is not peculiar to the Japanese. With the
Japanese the rendering is less con
ventional, however, than with the
Egyptians and Grecians.
The edifice which covers the water-
tank of the temple of Shiba (Fig. 16)
has monolith columns, the upper parts
of which are decorated with coloured
conventional drapery, in the manner
of those of Chion-in at Kioto. Yet
the temples of Shiba and Chion-in
differ widely from each other, and are separated geographically

Fig. 87. — Column from
the Chion-in, Ki
oto.

Fig

2 54 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
by a distance of more than three hundred miles. In the days
when they were erected, it must have been very difficult to get
from place to place ; yet we find this decoration of the columns
by imitation drapery in both buildings. And, strange to say,
in neither case do we find columns thus treated in the main
building ; for at Shiba the decoration is seen on the columns of
the water-tank, and at Chion-in on the pillars in the gatehouse.
At Kioto, as we have seen, the shafts of the column are decorated
with water : in Tokio the shafts are bare stone.
Here, as in the case of the Egyptian columns, we have no
vulgar imitation of drapery ; but idealised work, in which detail is
subordinated to architectural fitness, and in which structural
qualities are not interfered with by any mere imitative renderings
of folded tissues. On the score of conventionality there is there
fore nothing incongruous in this peculiar decoration.
While there is little in Japanese buildings, whether ancient or
modern, to convince us that they were in any way derived directly
from the tent, there is much which tends to show that the Japanese
temples were suggested by Chinese buildings. Yet these Japanese
temples are, as art works, inexpressibly superior to the Chinese
models from which they were derived.
We have seen that Chinese buildings owe their origin to a
particular form of tent or to the junk. Were we to inquire into
the nature of Arabian architecture, we should find that the rooms
of an Arabian house are little more than representations in stone,
plaster, and colour, of square and flat-topped tents formed of gor
geous tissues. While yet nomads, the Arabs used to produce in
their looms rich fabrics, such as they used in the construction
of their primitive dwellings. The temples of ancient Egypt had
their prototype in the reed dwellings which were the primitive
houses of the country ; hence, we should look for the origin of
Japanese architecture in the early abodes of the Japanese people.
If, with the view of discovering the nature of the original
dwellings of Japan, we consider the structures still raised by the
Aino inhabitants of the northern island (called Yesso), we see that
the Aino temples are of the rudest character. A few slender up-

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

255

rights, on which rest horizontal timbers of but small dimensions,
give support to a simple thatched roof. There are no sides to the
building. The timbers are unplaned. In short, nothing which
would distinguish it from the works of uncivilised man can be
seen in any part of an Aino structure (Fig. 89).
Such is an Aino temple of the present day ; and there is every
reason to believe that the Ainos were the original inhabitants
of Japan. The temples which
these half-civilised yet kindly
people now raise are surely
mere copies of those which
for many centuries they have
been in the habit of erecting.
But the simple Aino
temple has all the leading
characteristics of a Japanese
building of the present day.
It consists of uprights, on
which rests a somewhat mass
ive roof. We have already noticed that the sides of a Japanese house
are generally removable, and that the building consists of uprights,
a floor, and a roof. Primitive man has always used the ground
as his floor ; and that strange nomadic race, the gipsies, which
has so long been found among the various civilised peoples of
Europe, makes no floor for its primitive dwelling. In like man
ner, the Aino buildings are floorless ; but the mere needs of an
advancing civilisation would lead to the construction of this
necessary adjunct to any building designed to give protection
from damp as well as rain.
We have, then, the prototype of the whole Japanese system
of building, in the rude temples of the Ainos. But as time has
gone on, advances have been made, and influences have been
brought to bear upon the primitive methods of building. Just as
the Roman invasion and the Norman conquest influenced building
in Britain, so the Chinese, the Coreans, and certain Buddhist

Fig. 89. — An Aino Temple.

256 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
missionaries from Central Asia carried to Japan new styles of
architecture which gave rise to that florid though beautiful
architecture which we find in the great shrines of Nikkd. There
is this difference, however, between the two cases. In Britain the
Romans and the Normans came and built noble edifices which
influenced later works ; whereas in Japan the influence could in
most cases only have been derived from drawings received from
the Asiatic continent and from the teachings of missionaries.
A feature which must not be overlooked in the consideration
of Japanese architecture is the nature and " pitch " of the roof
and the manner in which gables are dealt with.
All architects know the value of the gable in producing pic
turesque effects. It was found in most houses during the medieval
period, both in England and in most countries of Europe ; but I
doubt whether any nation has used it with more skill, or with
better effect, than the. Japanese. Indeed, I have some sketches of
Japan which are peculiarly picturesque through their wealth of
gables (Fig. 48).
The pitch of the roof in Japan, though not high, suffices to
give perfect protection from the weather. While the high roofs
which we still see in Nuremberg, Troyes, many of the Rhenish
towns, and on some of our own old buildings, are eminently
picturesque, I doubt whether they are as beautiful as those of
lower pitch ; and certainly they occupy much space in which only
poor rooms can be arranged.
The gable of Nishi-hongwan-ji (Fig. 90) will give a fair
idea of the pitch of a Japanese roof; but some buildings have
gables somewhat higher, in relation to their width, than that
which is here shown. Figs. 91 and 92 give another gable and
detail of roof which will be of interest to the student.
Japanese gables are generally broken by ornaments, as
reference to those of Nishi-hongwan-ji (Fig. 90) will show.
That of the entrance gate of the great temple of Dai-butz at
Kioto, of the gate Kanaman of the shrine at Nikk6 (Fig. 68),
of the water-tank at Shiba (Fig. 1 6), and that of the street lamp
(Fig. 5 8), will show the scroll ornaments which occur under most

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 257
of these gables, especially those which fit in the upper angle,
and the similar ornaments lower down (see Figs. 90 and 93);

Fig. 90.— Gable end of Nishi-hongwan-ji.
these ornaments are purely of Chinese origin. Before passing
from a consideration of architecture to ornament, we should notice

Fig. 91.— Roof.
the forms of the tombs found in the cemeteries, for these have a
character which renders them worthy of special notice.
s

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 38 gives the tombstone most commonly met with ; while
Fig. 40 represents the monument erected to commemorate the
Corean conquest. Each is similar, both in form and in character.
In order to understand the nature of this structure we must

Fig. 92. — Portion of Roof.
refer to India, China, and Tibet, where we commonly find objects
similar to this in connection with ecclesiastical edifices.
The form used on the continent of Asia we give in Fig. 40,
where the lower square stone represents the earth, the circular
stone water, the triangle

fire, the crescent air or
wind, and the spear-head
ether or heaven. Inman
tells us that in Egyptian
mythology the pyramid,
Fig. 93.— Ornament from Gable end of Bio-do-in at Uji a "nalllC slSn> Plavs an
—a temple recently destroyed. It was carved in the year important part. It be-
1046 a.d. r r
longs to Siva = the sun
= fire = life. By one complex symbol, very common on ancient
Hindoo monuments, the universe was thus represented. Notice
the upward gradation : first we have the earth, then water ; and
these two constitute this globe. Then comes the creator = God,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 259
whose emblem — flame — mounts upwards. He is the author and
representative of all life upon the globe, and he is connected
by the crescent moon with heaven. The spear-head is an emblem
of the divine source of life and of the doctrine that perfect
wisdom is to be found only in the combination of the male and
female principles in nature.
The manner in which the Japanese monument has become
modified is apparent from our illustrations ; but its origin is
obvious. It is given here simply to illustrate the fact that certain
forms of an architectural character have a significance not to be
overlooked. The crescent moon is introduced as a symbol ; but
the symbol has reached Japan from the continent of Asia. Yet
it is well to remember, when speaking of this monument, that
originally, the Japanese flag was inscribed with both the sun and
the crescent moon, and that this symbol was thus used by the
Japanese at an early time. The more general form of a Sho-
gun's tomb is given in Fig. 94, the form being altogether differ
ent from that of any other tomb that I saw in Japan.
With the view of enabling our readers to see how the
plasterers, carpenters, and other workmen engaged on the erec
tion of a building perform their work, we give illustrations (Figs.
95 to 100). Fig. 101 gives the tools which the carpenter em
ploys in his craft.
We have now to deal with the decorations of Japanese
temples ; and the principles which govern the application of
ornament to buildings. At the outset of these considerations we
must recognise the fact that ornament should always be used
for the enrichment of members structurally necessary ; and that
it should be so subordinated to its position, that each part shall
have the necessary degree of prominence and that all the
members shall combine to form a harmonious whole.
Enrichment of an architectural edifice may be carried to any
extent ; provided that the constructive members are always duly
emphasised, and the whole of the parts combine to produce a
grand and complete concord ; but if ornament renders any part
unduly conspicuous it is illegitimate and can only be condemned.

26o

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

While some of the great temples of Japan are elaborately
decorated, I do not remember one instance in which structure is
falsified by enrichment ; and in all cases the leading structural
members are rendered prominent by colour or treatment.
If we take either the gateway (Fig. 41) on page 143 or that
figured on page 207 we shall see that the structural members have

Fig. 94.— A ShSgun's Tomb.

due importance, while the parts are richly ornamented ; and that
the members structurally necessary are those which ornament has
enriched, But it must not be forgotten that these works are as
elaborately coloured as the Alhambra at Grenada ; and that gold,
white, red, blue, and many other colours, in all their intensity,
emphasise their different parts. How can I, without the aid of
colour, convey to the reader any adequate idea of the nature of
such works, and of the manner in which all the parts are subor
dinated to their true positions ? As well might I try to explain

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

26 1

to one who was born deaf the richness of musical harmonies, as
the nature and beauty of Nikko without the aid of colour.
It should be noticed that much of the ornament on the leading
and more exposed members of a Japanese building is flat or
painted work, while that
which is more protected
is carved as well as col
oured. Sometimes, how
ever, the carved work re
mains uncoloured, while in
other cases, as on certain
columns at Nikko, we have
dark wood basso-relievo
ornaments protruding from
wood of lighter colour. It
not unfrequently happens
that this work, which is
carved and uncoloured, is
associated with coloured
members. In some parts
of the Nikko buildings we
have most welcome effects
produced in this manner.
Of the nature of those
Carvings which form the Fig. 95.— Plasterers at Work. After a native drawing.
panels in the various walls,
gateways, and buildings, both at Nikko and Shiba, I have spoken,
when writing of my visit to these shrines. For the most part,
they consist of groups of plants, birds, water, clouds, animals, and,
in a few cases, of figures. All are wrought with consummate
skill, and are generally actually pierced, the entire substance of
the wood out of which they are formed being cut through.
The manner of the cutting is both bold and crisp. In all
cases it manifests a perfect understanding of grouping, of the laws
of composition, and of the distribution of parts ; while nearly
every panel has some poetic significance.

262

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

One of the special features of Japanese decoration is seen in
the use of diaper patterns on horizontal members and "string
courses." We never enrich beams and joists by small, repeating,

Fig. 96. — Plasterer and Stone-Mason at Work. After a native drawing,
geometrical patterns, but the Japanese do. Yet in no case have
I seen a diaper pattern so placed on a beam that it was broken
by the angle, or so that one, two, or more repeats of the pattern
did not exactly fit on each side of the timber figured.
The diaper patterns thus employed are both varied in design
and beautiful in character ; and, considering their colour as well
as their form, I should have been strangely puzzled to say what
country had produced them prior to my visit to Japan. Had I
guessed their origin I should have said — they must be our own
Middle Age work.
I remember on one occasion the late Mr. Owen Jones assert
ing before a number of gentlemen that the Japanese had no
ornament, strictly so called, and that their decorations consisted
wholly of conventional representations of natural forms ; while the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

263

Chinese had ornament which was both national and good — a
statement to which I then took exception. What would he have
said could he have seen the numerous specimens of pure and

Fig. 97. — Carpenters at Work. After a native drawing.

characteristic ornament which I could now show ? Few countries
have more characteristic or more carefully considered ornament
than Japan ; and it is strange that while this is the case so little
should be known respecting it in Europe even to this hour. It is
a system of ornament carefully considered, with parts well distri
buted, points duly emphasised, full of careful thought. It includes
diaper patterns, powderings, scroll-work, and symmetrical composi
tions (Figs. 102 and 103). It may be behind the Greek in purity
of form and refinement of line, yet it has many of the best qualities
of classic art. In power it equals the best of our own mediaeval
work ; while in tenderness of expression, beauty of composition,
and careful thought, it is even superior. The colour is equal to
that of the finest illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages.

264

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

In treating of Japanese architecture, I should have liked to con
sider the very important question of PROPORTION. Everything in

Figs. 98, 99.— Carpenters at Work. After native drawings.
relation to Japanese building is determined by rule ; but the ex
planation of these rules would require more space than can be
afforded in a work like the
present : To give some idea
of the plan on which the
Japanese work, I may men
tion that all mats, such as are
used for floor coverings, are
in size six feet by three ; and
I have before mentioned that
although the floors of their
rooms appear to be covered
by matting, the Japanese use
only thick padded mats of
this size as their floor cover
ings. This being the case, it is
obvious that all their rooms
are, both in length and width,
some multiple of a yard ; but as all rooms appear to be of

Fig. 100. — Carpenter, who is fatigued with
his Work, resting on the Top of his
Shed. After a native drawing,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

265

one height, the relation between the area and the height is
variable. In the building of important Japanese houses there is an
'i  1 1 i 1 1_

Fig. ioi. — Carpenters' Tools, i, Square and Measure ; 2, Compass formed of bamboo stems,
with a brush in one arm ; 3, 4, Chisels ; 5, Plane ; 6, Line, which runs out over blackened
cotton-wool; 7, 8, Files; 9, T-Square and Plummet; 10, n, 12, Mallets; 13, Awl; 14, 15,
Saws ; 16, 17, Forms of Axe ; 18, Hammer. After a native drawing.
etiquette regulating its construction ; and the teacher of manners
determines the plan of the mansion.
As I have named the teacher of etiquette, I may say that
under the old feudal system he was an officer of some importance ;
for after a youth had left college he was apprenticed to this pro
fessor for general instruction in manners, and especially in the
etiquette of the ceremony of tea-drinking — the Cha-no-yu (see
page 157). The etiquette of Japan is most elaborate, and the
volume setting forth the rules to be followed by a man of position

266

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

contains more than a thousand pages. There is an etiquette re
specting the building of the house, respecting the reception of both
friends and strangers, and respecting everything pertaining to one's

IBM™

Fig. 102. — Diaper Patterns and Powderings.

conduct under all circumstances. Even to the committing of hara-
kiri rules are laid down, and the principles of etiquette determine,
to a great extent, the character of a Japanese house. Figs. 104
and 105 give the manner in which an ornament and a torii are
" set out," showing that all architectural objects are constructed
according to rule.
I failed to discover that the columns of Japanese temples are
governed by rule in the relation of diameter to height ; yet I
always found their proportions pleasant ; I also found the propor
tion which one part of a temple bore to another almost invariably
agreeable. It has been said that the proportion of one to two is

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

267

not so beautiful as that of one to three, and that this again is not
so pleasant as three to five. Indeed, the law of proportion is
this : the more difficult it is to detect the relation of part to part
the more beautiful the proportion is.

Fig. 103. — Patterns of Japanese Fabrics.
In Japanese temples I always observed this subtle relation ot
part to part, and the consequent beauty of the temples as regards
their quantities ; and I think that any fixed proportion between
the diameter and the height of the column could not be invari
ably maintained, Japanese temples being seen under such different

268

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

conditions as to make a hard and fast rule of this kind imprac
ticable. Many of the temples are situated on eminences, and are seen

Fig. 104. — Diagram of Ornament in Gable.
Showing the manner in which the proportion of its parts is determined.
chiefly from below ; while the columns of those which are placed
on level ground are in part hidden by overhanging roofs. Some,

n

Fig. 105. — Torii. Showing the manner in which it is " set out."
which are enclosed by a series of courts (as the temple at
Nikko) must be so closely viewed, owing to the proximity of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

269

the surrounding walls, that the proportion of part to part can
scarcely be perceived.
In Japanese buildings all the parts of the structure are held
together by a system of " dovetailing," neither nails nor screws
being used in their production, except for ornament. A grand
ornamental nail, with a
head three inches in di
ameter (see Fig. 36), is
often placed in a hori
zontal timber, immediate
ly over the window slides
of a house, but here it
serves no structural pur
pose. Some of the " dove
tail" joints are most com
plicated and remarkable,
for they have to bind the
parts, coming in three or
four directions, together.

Fig. 106.— Japanese Cupboard or Cabinet.
With the view of showing in a very

Fig. 107. — Details. Showing the manner in which the parts are dovetailed together.
simple way the construction of Japanese houses, I copy some
working drawings from a native book (Figs. 108, 109, and no).
While there is no furniture in a Japanese room, there is
generally a little arrangement of fixed shelves in a corner, on
which objects may be placed. The manner in which the parts

270

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

of such a structure are put together, will be understood from the
accompanying illustrations (Figs. 106 and 107).
We now see that Japan has produced a system of architecture
eminently suited to the wants
of those who have called it
forth, and peculiarly adapted
to withstand the earthquakes

Fig. 109. — Top of a Bracket. Showing the
manner in which tie-beams are held together.

Fig. 108. — Gatepost and its Support. Showing
the manner in which parts are put together.

to which Japan is so subject.
We also see that this archi
tecture has sprung from a
primitive dwelling ; that its
character has been modified
by the introduction of special features from Continental Asia ;
and that religion has played its
part in determining its character.
We further notice that out of the
architecture has grown a system
of ornamentation, developed under
the influence of Buddhism, while
the perfect finish of all Japanese
work is due to the influence of
Shinto upon the Japanese mind.
The ornament which has arisen
in association with architecture
has been applied to objects of
domestic use, as works in lacquer,
earthenware, fabrics, etc. But liberties are taken in dealing with

Fig. no. — Top view of Circular Pillar.
Showing the manner in which cross-beams
are inserted into it.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

271

common wares which would not be permitted in the case of
architectural edifices. Yet I have seen a monkey, carved in a
humorous manner, resting upon a temple roof, as though it were
sitting there ; and a cat modelled on the tiles of a house. But
here we have quaintness similar to that of the grotesque European
gurgoyles of the Middle Ages.
In the case of fabrics we have patterns of most extraordinary
kinds. Thus, before me, as I write, is a dress-cloth figured with
brooms, rakes, and the
leaves that are to be
gathered up (Fig. in).
Here is another formed
only of long-legged water-
flies ; another consisting
only of children in all
conceivable attitudes (Fig.
1 1 2). Milestones, rabbits,
birds, cobwebs, hats, and
all sorts of objects may
be found in the patterns
of their fabrics ; and on
a lady's scarf telegraph
posts and wires may be
seen conspicuously figured fig. m.— pattern of a printed dress fabric, con-
fT?' Q e^ SISTING OF THE LEAVES OF THE FIR-TREE, RAKES,
\" !§• ^ ° "/• BROOMS, AND DIAPER PATTERNS.
We shall scarcely un
derstand Japanese art unless we remember that the Japanese are
a simple and humorous people. They enjoy a joke as much as a
child, and there is a simplicity about their manners which has all
the frankness of infancy. Indeed, we have here the charm of
childhood preserved in grown man. This being the case, we must
look for the expression of humour in their art, whenever oppor
tunity occurs ; and humour and grotesqueness are closely allied.
During the year 1880, The Furniture Gazette gave an illus
tration of a Japanese dish on which were figured octopii perform
ing as acrobats. On a ladder was one which stood out at right

272

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

angles, holding on by his tentacles, while two were performing
on musical instruments, and a fourth watched the performance
fan in hand. The whole was as comic and grotesque as it could
possibly be (Fig. 1 1 3). Teapots made in the form of birds,
frogs, and fruits, owe their origin to this sense of humour ; and a

Fig. 112.— Pattern of printed Fabric, consisting wholly of children at play.

thousand things might be named as illustrating in Japanese art
this love of the comic. The battle of the frogs, the grasshoppers'
procession, and such subjects, are so well known that we need not
here enumerate them.
Many Japanese patterns have a significance to those for whom
they are intended which is not apparent to us. Thus the almond
is the type of beauty, as we have before said, and the stork (which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

273

is said to live a thousand years) of long life. In Japan a dead
stork is as rare as a dead donkey is here. The tortoise is another
emblem of longevity, for it is said to have a thousand lives, and
another is the peach, for a man who lived for nine hundred years ate
this fruit as his chief food. It is strange that, though they are so
fond of portraying storks and drawing them in every conceivable
attitude, during the whole time of my sojourn in Japan I never

Fig. 113. — Dish made in Tokio.

saw but one living specimen of this bird. Owing to the numberless
representations of them which we see on Japanese works, I used
to think that storks must be almost as common in Japan as
sparrows are in England ; but this proved to be a great mistake.
The Japanese are also fond of portraying the domestic cock and
hen ; but these, like the mandarin duck and drake, symbolise
connubial felicity. On an early Christian tombstone in the
catacombs at Rome, two birds are represented looking at one
T

274

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

another, which are said to be cocks fighting. To me this seems
most unlikely, and I believe them to be cock and hen, and not
two male birds, as is generally supposed ; and inspection will show
that the one bird only has hackles on the neck.
Another form which should be noticed is the two-edged sword,
which is a divine symbol. The gods of Japan wore and wielded
two-edged swords ; and from the tail of the dragon was born the
sword which the sun-goddess gave to the first Emperor of Japan.
Here we have a symbol with which we ourselves are familiar.
In the Apocalypse we have the expression : " These things
saith he which hath the sharp sword with two
edges;" and again the words: "And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, and with it he
should smite the nations." Curiously, in the
Japanese myth, the sword is associated with
a serpent-like creature who gave it birth, while
the sword in the Apocalypse proceeds from the
mouth of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Some Japanese patterns exhibit subtle
satire. On a figured towel there is a curious
split bell-like gong dropping from the eaves of
a temple roof; while in front of it dangles a
large pendent rope. When the Japanese goes
to the temple to pray he takes the rope in his
hands, and by giving to it a sharp waved motion
causes it to strike against the gong. The sound
thus made, he believes, calls the attention of the
god to the supplication about to be offered. In
the pattern of the towel before us the gong
is loose, for the devotee, in his anxiety to secure attention to
his prayer, has hit the gong with such force as to detach it
from its support ; thus it is falling to the ground (Fig. 1 1 4).
On an old Kioto bottle in my possession is a skeleton
holding a long bamboo rod, on the end of which is a bird ;
while an almond-tree, the symbol of spring, of youth, of beauty, and
of long life, occurs behind the rod to which the bird is attached.

Fig. 114. — Pattern
of a Japanese
Towel.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 275
The satire of this design will be understood when it is
remembered that the Japanese catch birds by darting at them
a bamboo rod, on the end of which bird-lime has been placed.
Those so-called fishing-rods, the joints of which blow out, and
which are now so much sold in
England, are made by the Japanese
as bird-catchers. To be caught is
death to the bird, hence the skele
ton holds the rod by which the
bird is caught, although this may be
the time of its youth, and its spring.
The reference to long life is mockery !
Fig. 115 represents a netsuki in
which the thought of summer, or
abundant life, is given — both animal F,G- "s-
and vegetable.
A great number of the little " set " devices which we see upon
good Japanese objects are crests, or heraldic insignia, and these
have a significance similar to our armorial bearings (Fig. 1 1 6).
But it is impossible for me to do more than call attention to the
nature of Japanese ornament generally. A detailed examination
would need a volume.
If we consider Japanese art broadly, and include carving,
painting, and decoration, we shall see that much of its interest is
due to the expression of poetical feeling. On a towel we see,
as a pattern, a panel in which is a full harvest moon, with a few
sprays of grass in front of it (Fig. 1 1 7). And on a cabinet the
large full autumn moon, with grass -sprays laden with silver
dewdrops. In both cases the pleasant autumn evening is brought
to mind, and the softly-flowing stream' beside which this tall grass
grows. On a vase we have the well-known hawthorn pattern,
which represents cracked ice, with the plum blossoms upon it that
have been pinched off by a late frost.
Many Japanese designs are of a legendary character. The
Japanese speak of the " hare in the moon " as we speak of
the " man in the moon." They regard the dragon as " the

276

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

demon of the storm," and picture the tempest both in air and in
water as the elements agitated by this monster. In Fig. 1 1 8

/ g h l i
a thunderstorm is represented, with the god of Thunder and his

(£)w

Fig. 116.-— Japanese Crests. Those lettered from a to j are all formed from the leaf of the Maidenhair tree ;
k, from the Go-he, or cut papers, used as the symbol ofthe Shinto religion ; /, from a kind of gong; w} from
the heads of a kind of arrow, used in warfare for cutting ropes ; «, from five hammers, such as the god
Daikoku bears ; 0, from three hawk's feathers ; fi> from a cart-wheel ; q, from three of the folded papers which
indicate that an object is a gift ; rt from three rabbits ; s, from five anchors ; t, from the wood-framing around
a well ; and «, from two sails of a junk.
circular drums in the air, while from the cloud descends both
forked lightning and rain. Surely the " key pattern " did not

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

>77

originally signify the lightning which the people feared ! They
depict a fish leaping the waterfall before ascending into the

Fig. 117. — Pattern of
a Japanese Towel.

Fig. 118.— The Thunder God. After a native drawing.

clouds as typifying ambition and perseverance. The pine signi
fies everlasting youth, the bamboo uprightness and usefulness ;
but to the significance of their patterns there is no end.
Here before me is an ivory carving of two men quarrelling.
The one has long legs and short arms : the other has long arms
and short legs. The tale goes that fish can only be caught in
deep water, where the man with short legs could not stand. The
man with long legs can get into the deep water, but, owing to
his short arms, he cannot reach to the bottom and fish. The
difficulty is overcome by the long-legged man carrying the man
with the long arms on his back. The two together can thus
catch fish, but neither can do so alone. Hence the absurdity of
these men quarrelling. The same idea is conveyed in our
expression, " He is quarrelling with his bread."
Japanese carving varies in character according to the purpose
it is intended to serve. Those little button-like objects which

278

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

are worn pendent from the girdle, and are called netsukies, are
frequently delicious specimens of minute work. Some of these,
as examples of cutting, have never been surpassed (if even
equalled) by any other people, being almost of classic refinement ;
others are hugely grotesque, while some are imitative works
of marvellous excellence ; but the distinction between imitat
ive and conventional work must not
be lost sight of. The imitative may
be influenced by the position in which
the object imitated is placed, and by
the momentary expression which has
been seized for perpetuation in the
carved work. What we have to con
sider in such works is the excellence of
the imitation, the nature of the surfaces,
and those fleeting characteristics of the
object imitated which have been em
bodied by the carver in his work.
Here is a netsuki in the form of a
snail, in which the fleshy mollusc, having
stretched itself as far as it can from
its shell, seems trying to climb to the
top of it. The horn-like pedicels, which
carry the eyes on their extremities, are
fully protruded and rest upon the shell,
to which the plastic body of the snail
appears to cling ; while the hinder por
tion is slightly twisted so that its smooth
and mucous under surface is exposed
from above. In this work the texture of the shell is perfectly given ;
the little striae indicating its successive stages of growth being
carefully marked ; while the voluted form and slightly recurved
orifice of the shell are rendered with a fidelity and feeling which
could not be surpassed. But perhaps the most wonderful quality of
this carving lies in the expression of plasticity and mobility which
the artist has embodied in his work. The creature clings to the

Fig. 119. — Origin of the Haw
thorn Pattern. The late
frost nips the Plum blossoms,
and causes them to fall on the
thin and cracked ice.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 279
shell, over which it almost seems to slide, while the horn-like
bodies are protruded in a manner so life-like that they might
readily be mistaken for members of a living creature. The
texture of the body is as good as that of the shell, while the
under portion of the " foot " has that strange glabrous surface
which makes it appear real.
As a naturalistic carving this little netsuki is almost perfect ;
yet the parts of the creature are so disposed that no member is
in danger of being broken off. On the contrary, it is all compact,
and forms but one mass without excrescences.
This one illustration of naturalistic work must suffice, al
though it would be easy to multiply illustrations indefinitely.
But to take an instance of a somewhat different character, we
may consider a netsuki which represents a child, who wears a
large mask from which depends drapery, and who is sitting in a
crouching position, beating a small drum.
On certain days of the year children go about the streets of
Japanese towns with hideous masks on. From the masks (which
almost envelop the head) drapery is pendent, and in this the
body is enveloped. These children generally have drums, which
they beat while perambulating the streets.
The netsuki before us is about one inch in diameter ; and in
the hideous beast-like mask the artist has had room for his fancy.
The drum is clutched by the feet of the sitting child, and on it
rest the two drum-sticks which are held in the hands. But the
peculiarity of this work is seen on looking through the open
mouth of the grotesque mask : you see a charmingly cut child's
face, with little jewelled eyes inlaid ; yet no trace of any join in
the wood can be discovered in the work.
The two illustrations given of detailed carving are of exquisite
finish ; but another class of work for which Nara is celebrated
differs essentially from those objects of which I have just spoken.
These consist of a number of small flat facets, each resulting
from one clean cut. These works would almost represent what
is going to be a finished carving in its " blocked out " stage.
One such netsuki of a humorous character represents on one

280 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
side the face of a Court lady, while if it is turned round there is
the face of a gentleman, who is furnished with large ears and
small tusks, and who, if his entire body were represented, would
probably have a tail and cloven hoofs.
The Japanese, like other people, will have their little joke,
although in this case it is severe on the Court ladies : for the
inference is that when seen in one view she is a lady, but when
in the other she is a very ¦  .
Between these two classes of carving we have an intermediate
stage, in which we have great crispness of treatment and precision
of work, together with high finish. But this intermediate method
is not so general as the other two.
Purely ideal productions, it needs scarcely be said, must be
judged, not by their imitative qualities, but by their merits, as
decorative works. As an illustration we may take a netsuki,
which represents the spotted lion, or King of the Fauna.
Here we have an ideal beast — a grotesque. This work we have
to regard as a mere decorative composition. We have to view
the various curls of hair constituting the mane of the beast, and
the spots in which they terminate ; we have to consider the
arrangement of the limbs, the treatment of the tail, the expres
sion given to the creature, and the decorative distribution of the
parts in their relation to ornamental effect only.
This little netsuki is as interesting in its way as the snail was
as a naturalistic work ; for it is decorative, ferocious, and grotesque.
The queer grin on its face, the eyes which peep from under over
hanging eyebrows, the curious arrangement of the mane, which
surrounds the head almost like a grandmother's nightcap, and the
beautiful hair-like texture of the body, give to it characters which
stamp it an excellent work. As mere achievements, mention
should here be made of microscopic carvings, which are common.
Thus, as we have already seen, you may meet with two gods
carved in wood, and yet so small that both are contained in the
husk of one grain of rice, while an entire celestial family may be
found in the shell of a common hazel nut.
If we now pass to the larger carvings, such as are used in the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 281
decoration of temples and in positions which compel the observer
to view them from a distance, we shall find that they are treated
with masterly boldness and simplicity. One of these carvings is
given in Fig. 62 ; but the scale of our illustration is too small to
show the true character of the work. In modern furniture we
often fall into the error of producing carved work so fine that its
decorative value is lost. The Japanese rarely make such a mis
take, for they have hit upon the happy method of introducing just
that amount of detail into the work which can be perfectly seen
when it is in its proper position. They " generalise " with a skill
which is almost wonderful.
The temples of Shiba and Nikko, as we have already seen,
are adorned by many carvings of birds, flowers, and animals ; and
while these representations of objects are more or less natural,
there is yet a simplicity and conventionality in their treatment
which shows how perfectly the Japanese can seize the salient
qualities of an object and can discard all unnecessary detail.
The tendency of those natural forces which result in the growth
of plants is to produce in most cases leaves with symmetrical
halves and flowers with radiating parts ; but the tendency of all
outward influences acting upon plants — as wind, rain, light, and
heat — is to cause a departure from the normal type.
The pictorial artist avails himself of the utmost variety, but
the decorative artist has often to seek simple and symmetrical
forms. The Japanese well know the value of simplicity and even
symmetry in decorative objects; and the flowers which seem to be
pictorially grouped Jn their best carvings will almost invariably be
found to have symmetrical halves or to consist of regular radiating
parts. The same remark will apply to the leaves, while in both
cases the simplest expression of the object copied is always given.
From Japanese architecture, ornament, and carving, we must
turn to their drawing, and seek to understand their methods of
work ; for there is much worthy of our best consideration in the
results achieved by Japanese artists, as well as in the means by
which the end is gained. To me it appears that Japanese child-

r

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 120-

ren learn drawing al
most without being
aware that they are do
ing so. While children
are learning to form
the letters of the alpha
bet and the numerals
they are also learning to
draw. After a few weeks
of school life they have
acquired the power of
making certain shapes
(called letters and
figures). Here their edu
cation in drawing ceases
with us, unless they
should at some future
time be taught to draw
as a separate accomp
lishment. The Japanese
not only employ a native
alphabet, but they also
use a large number of
Chinese characters — a
number so great that
Mr. Sato (the well-
known Japanese scholar),
though acquainted with
six thousand such char
acters, said that he
had never seen a
native newspaper with
out finding some
that he did not under
stand. When we consider
that writing is only a

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 283
means for the communication of ideas, the vast amount of time
consumed in acquiring such a power can only be deplored. Yet it
has a great advantage ; for in imitating new characters during every
day of his school life, the Japanese child is constantly learning to
draw. Again, the child never rests the paper on which it writes
upon a desk or table, but holds it in the hand. Thus the whole arm
works and not the hand only. Motion is got from the shoulder,
the elbow, and the wrist alike. Another feature in the education
of the Japanese child which is calculated to influence the character
of his work, should he ultimately become an artist, is the fact of
his writing with a brush, and not with a pen or point. Then the
paper on which he writes is more or less bibulous, so that the
instant he touches the paper with his brush the ink (always Indian
ink) is absorbed.
This writing with the brush, and this unrestrained use of the
arm, gives a freeness to Japanese drawing which can never be
got by practice with the point ; while the absorbent quality of the
paper induces a precision of touch which our method fails to
secure. And this power of drawing, this freeness of motion, and
this precision of touch, are all got without the child even knowing
that he is acquiring the most valuable aids to a high drawing
power. To me our method of teaching drawing seems altogether
wrong. We first give to a youth a hard point and teach him to
imitate forms by the agency of this unpliable pencil. After he
has got into the way of using this hard point we give him a brush,
which he naturally uses as though it were something hard and
unyielding. He should first use the brush, and when he has
acquired its free use he might then be trusted with the crayon or
the pencil. By this means he would gain the free use of the point
and the brush ; whereas by our method the free use of both is
impaired. Their method of writing leads the Japanese artists to dispense
altogether with the maulstick ; and however minute his work —
and no people can draw more minutely or with greater tenderness
than the Japanese — the lines are drawn with a brush, and the

284

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

hand has nothing to rest upon. Fig.r 1 2 1 gives a copy used for
teaching the drawing of the bamboo.

Fig.

The absorbent character of the Japanese paper not only gives
precision of touch, but also leads to the simplest form being
chosen for the expression of an object. The Japanese thus
acquires knowledge of the value of touches, such as no other people
possess. But, in order to make myself understood, I must refer
to certain illustrations which have been drawn by Japanese artists
and engraved by Japanese engravers : for I felt that no European
copy of their works would adequately represent the true spirit of
their productions. Through the indulgence of my publishers, I
have got a number of my illustrations prepared in Tokio : and
for these I am much indebted to the kindness of Mr. Yeno, the
late Japanese minister in London. It must not, however, be
supposed that these are altogether original works, for this is not
the case. They are copies, by excellent artists, of illustrations
in some of the best Japanese books. To insure their being
sharp, it was thought better to have them redrawn and re-engraved
rather than have cliches from old blocks.
As an illustration of free drawing, I may refer to Fig. 133,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 285
which, in my judgment, could never have been produced by an
artist who had learnt to draw with a point. And here we have a
feature which has never been admitted in our academic system,
namely, the admixture of solid black with outline drawing ; yet

it must be admitted that the contrast between the solid and the
outline is very pleasant. As illustrations of the simplicity of
treatment which the Japanese conditions induce, I may give Figs.
120, 122, 123, and 124, where in one example we have a plant
touched in with solid black. Another is shown partly in black,
and other two in outline only. Of these the most successful are
the coltsfoot (Fig. 122) and the pink (Fig. 124); for the

286

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 123.

characters of both are
perfectly given, while
the means by which
the effect is achieved
is most simple. The
rendering of the wither
ing cotton plant is also
worthy of special com
mendation. Another merit of
Japanese drawing is its
crispness of touch ; or
angularity. Rounded
lines, if used in a sketch,
generally produce feeble
ness of effect : whereas
angularity in drawing
gives vigour and life.
Japanese drawings
have in a high degree
this crispness of char
acter, and Figs. 125 and
126 will illustrate what
I mean. The lily is
grandly drawn. The
sweep of line, the pre
cision of touch, and the
crispness of its render
ing, make it charming
to the artist : and the
little bits of grass, which
mingle with its leafage,
destroy that hardness
which the sketch, in their
absence, would have.
Clever as the sketch
of the lily is, that of the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

287

Fig. 124.

Fig. 125.

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 126,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

289

290

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART. AND ART MANUFACTURES.

291

*® %%$\

292

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 129.

ART AND ART MANUFACTURES.

293

294

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

295

296

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fio. 132.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 297

Fig. 133.

298

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

299

3°°

JAPAN : ITS AR CHITE CTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

3° i

302

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 136.

m <<"»J6;:-,.:„ s^tilk

Fig. 137.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 3°3

Fig. 138.

304 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

3°5

3°6

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, and art manufactures.

307

308

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

3°9

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

3"

312

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 143.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

313

C3<

314

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

315

,46.

316 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
wisteria creeper is scarcely less meritorious ; for the angularity, of
its leaves, the free winding of its stems, and the firmness with
which the buds jut out from the parent stem, gives an impression
of life which no other treatment could achieve.
My illustrations have, so far, been drawn exclusively from the
vegetable kingdom ; but birds, fishes, crustaceans, insects, animals,
and human figures might be selected, which would equally well
illustrate those art qualities of which we are now treating. With
the view of showing how these principles apply, I have had
illustrations from other kingdoms of nature than the vegetable
prepared. In Fig. 147 we have a crisp drawing of drapery
which is both characteristic and good. No one who has seen a
Japanese girl, full of pride in her best clothes, going along the
streets of Tokio, could fail to be struck with the excellence of
this slightly caricatured rendering of so important a personage :
but we give it as an illustration of a method of drawing which has
great merit. Although the solid black which is here used as hair
would not be allowed in our schools of art, I cannot help thinking
that it tends to separate the head from the drapery ; and that it
is of value to the drawing. Fig. r 46 gives a drawing of the god
of wisdom. Various crabs, which we also figure, show charmingly the
simple manner in which natural objects may be expressed (see
Fig. 131); and on pages 292 and 296 we give drawings of the
same simple character of birds.
In art, nations are characterised by peculiarities of grouping
and of treatment. The peacock on page 289 is treated in a manner
so characteristic of Japan that no one need look at it twice in
order to say what people produced it ; and the grouping of the
birds on pages 290, 302, and 306, is equally characteristic. But
there are other peculiarities of treatment, in which the Japanese in
dulge, which are well illustrated by Figs. 134, 135, and 138, where
black is introduced in a strange and abnormal manner. Yet these
illustrations are so full of interesting work that they demand care
ful study, even if we do not approve of the treatment here adopted.
There is yet another feature about some Japanese drawings

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

3i7

which should not be
passed unnoticed — I
mean the treatment of
foreground of which
Fig. 143 gives us a
good example. Here
it will be observed that
the front part of the
picture is formed of
the violet, primrose,
dandelion, equisetum,
and other plants, ren
dered with a conven
tionality which reminds
us of our early stained
glass, and many old
tapestries. Whoever
originated this method
of treatment, it is cer
tain that it character
ises Japan as much as
it does the works of
our own country.
We have seen that
the drawings of good
Japanese artists are
simple in expression,
crisp in character, and
conventional in nature.
But there is a quality
which their works pos
sess that transcends all
other merits, great
though they be ; this
is the expression of
life with which they

Fig. 147.

318 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
endow their delineations of plants, birds, insects, and fishes ; and
no other people can make drawings live as can the Japanese.
When we draw a bird, we are content to imitate its form ; and
either to produce the general effect of the object copied, or to
portray laboriously every detail of the creature. The Japanese
artist, on the contrary, by a few simple strokes, produces a bird
which appears to live; it pecks (Fig. 137), it flies, it rests in
dignified repose, or it is eyeing its prey. There is life in his
rendering of birds, while ours are inanimate objects bearing but
little more relation to the living thing than waxworks do to
human beings.
Their drawings of fish, crustaceans, and insects have equal life
with their representations of birds. They can make an insect
appear pleased, a crab look as though it smiled, a herring wag
its tail with delight, or an octopus perform on a musical instru
ment, and yet seem natural ; in short, they appear to know the
ways of birds, insects, fishes, and other things ; and to be able to
make themselves feel as these creatures do.
In their representations of plants there is also manifested
that keen perception of individual qualities and subtleties of form
which we notice in their delineations of other things. Intense
love of both nature and their art can alone account for the life
like vigour which characterises so many of their works.
Those who judge my remarks by reference to the common
objects which are now to be seen in the windows of many of our
shops may be disposed to question the accuracy of my statements
respecting the merits of Japanese art ; but while some of these
goods (produced by the thousand for the European market) bear
patterns in advance of any that Birmingham or Wolverhampton
can produce at a similar price, it would be almost as fair to judge
of English art by the landscapes seen on our common tea-trays,
or papier-mache" blotting-books, as it would be to judge Japanese
art by such specimens.
So much importance do I attach to the influence of Japanese
drawings upon English art, that I am led to crowd this part of
\my book with native illustrations, (see Figs. 130, 137, 138, 141,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 319
142, 144, and 14S), although some may seem superfluous. But
I cannot too strongly recommemd our young ornamentists to
consider these drawings, and to try and acquire the Japanese
power of delineating natural forms with simplicity ; nor can I too
strongly commend to him the use of the brush in preference to
that of the pencil.
But I must not be misunderstood : I do not wish to destroy
our national art, and substitute for it the Japanese style. I
merely wish that we should avail ourselves of those methods which
are in advance of our own ; not minding where they originated.
Art, to be of value, must be national. It must embody the
sentiments of the people who create it ; hence no foreign art can
be adopted by a country without the sacrifice of qualities which
make it noble. A nation may borrow art suggestions from other
peoples, as the Greeks borrowed from the Egyptians, and as the
Japanese have borrowed from the Chinese even with advantage.
But the suggestions adopted must be filtered through the mind
of the country that adopts them. They must be so modified
as to harmonise with the new conditions under which they exist.
Broadly stated, my position is this — we may borrow what is good
from all peoples ; but we must distil all that we borrow through
our own minds.
Thus far we have only spoken of sketching in black and
white, and have made no mention of painting in its truer sense ;
but Japan knows no art similar to that by which we produce our
great pictures. The Japanese have no method of " working up "
an effect : they cannot heap up labour upon a subject, and cover
a canvas with colour as we do. Indeed the best Japanese art
consists of perfect sketches, and not of works which we call
" finished." As sketches some of the Japanese coloured drawings
are beyond all praise. They are vigorous, simple, and life-like ;
while the colour is distributed with the greatest possible care and
understanding — understanding of quantities, understanding of
harmonies, understanding of the value of shades. Japanese
drawings are at best but sketches ; but though I am a sincere
lover of our own school of pictorial art, I have yet seen works by

320 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Japanese artists which I would prefer to many an English picture
which has cost hundreds of pounds.
As in the narrative part of my book I have already spoken
of Japanese artists and their work (see page 58), I need say no
more about them ; for whether the works are in black and white,
or in colour, we find that simplicity of treatment, that angularity
of drawing, that quaintness of rendering, that exquisite grace (see
Figs. 125, 139, 144), and that life-like character (Fig. 130) which
makes all their better works so charming for those who can appre
ciate high art qualities.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 321

CHAPTER II.
ANALOGIES AND SYMBOLS.
By the agency of language something has been done in the
way of tracing the wanderings of mankind and the affinities of
races ; but I am not aware that decorative forms have been used,
to any material extent, as a means of arriving at similar knowledge,
although to me they seem capable of yielding valuable aid in
such inquiries.
That there have been national styles of ornament decisively
characteristic of the peoples by whom they were produced is
almost a truism : and it is my belief that the ornamental forms
and the decorative system employed by a people are of greater
value, as ethnological tests, than peculiarities of architecture ; and
that they afford a means of determining the relationship and
the migrations of races, at least as satisfactory as do the words
or construction of a language.
As an illustration of what I mean I may take one or two
examples. On many earthen plates which have reached us from
Persia we have pure Chinese ornament arranged in a purely
Chinese fashion. This, together with the fact that all these dishes
bear Chinese " marks," has been a cause of much controversy
amongst collectors ; and as the " paste " of which these vessels
are made is evidently not Chinese, it could only be inferred
that Chinese potters had exercised their art in some foreign
country. When evidence reached us of the fact that these vessels were
made in Persia, there was no longer any room for doubt that
Y

322 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Chinese potters had settled in that country and revived the art of
potting in the land of the Shah. Further inquiry has shown this
to be a fact, and we can now trace much of the history of Persian
ceramics from the period when the art was reintroduced into the
country. I have in my possession a blue-and-white jar decorated
on the sides with the purest of Arabian ornament, while the ends
are treated in a Chinese manner, but the work is stamped with a
Chinese mark.
This piece was probably made by the second or third
generation of the Chinese potters who settled in Persia ; and while
its author had been instructed in the traditional ornament of his
fathers, he had acquired a knowledge of the style of ornament
belonging to his adopted home. But in later works we find the
ornament becoming more and more Arabian in character, and the
potter's mark changed to a Persian signature.
Another illustration of what I mean is afforded by Yarkand
rugs, which bear patterns of a curious Semi-Tartar character, and
resemble the works of Persia and India on the one hand, and of
China on the other. So marked are the characters of these rugs
that any one well acquainted with ornament could say from what
district they must have come.
Just as the later Persian pottery owes its origin to Chinese
potters, so are the wares of both Damascus and of Rhodes due
to colonies of Persian potters ; and the particular class of ornament
found on ceramic works in Syria, and the Grecian Archipelago,
bears conclusive testimony to this fact.
The forms of domestic vessels are also characteristic of nations,
and the study of such would likewise assist us in building up the
history of past ages ; but in such an investigation we must be
most careful not to confound similarity of form resulting from
copying of natural objects common to various countries, with
similarity in shapes of wholly ideal origin. Thus, because the
gourd form is common in the earthenware of Japan, China, and
Morocco, it does not necessarily follow that there was any inter
communication between these countries ; for in each country the
dried skin of the bottle-gourd is in common use as a domestic utensil.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

323

If we now turn to Japan in order to ascertain the origin
of its decorative forms, and consider the way in which past mi
grations, the contact of races, their commercial intercourse, the

Fig. 148. — Old Sceptre or
Baton, with the head in
the form of a cloud.

Fig. 149. — Unit of Orna
ment forming Cresting
around a hanging lan-
tern in Tofukuji, near
Kioto. It consists of a
ball (the sun) resting on
clouds.

Fig. 150. — Persian Orna
ment, derived from cloud
forms.

visits of missionaries, or other incidents, have had their influ
ence on the world, we should note those ornaments which
have been derived from clouds, and probably owe their origin
to Central Asia.
The head of the sceptre or baton (Fig. 148) has a form
which has been in use from an early period, for in the collec
tion of antiquities at Nara we find two objects of a similar
character, the one being twelve and the other thirteen hundred
years old.
This particular shape is not only common as the head of a
staff, but may be found as an ornament surrounding many Chinese

324

IAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

vases, as the border of certain Yarkand rugs, and, in a modified
form, on much Persian work. This is one of the ornaments
derived from cloud. But to trace its origin we should have to
study many examples in
which cloud ornament oc-
(7)jy curs (see Figs. 149, 150,
151, 152, 153, and 154).
Persian ornament in its
various modifications fur
nishes many examples of
shapes, arising out of an
extreme conventionality
in the representation of
cloud-forms. Ornaments
of this kind, I believe,
spread from Central Asia
in the one direction through China to Japan, and in the other
through India to Spain and Italy, and through these countries
to Europe. Cloud ornaments
are to be found in all parts
of the Continent of Europe, as
well as in the early work of our
own country.
An ornament of considerable
antiquity preserved in the Nara
collection and found on the
crupper of a saddle belonging to a
sacred horse (which for centuries was hidden in a temple so sacred
that even a high priest could not enter it1) is of special interest.
Here we have forms derived from cloud and others from flames,

Fig. 151

-Persian Ornament, which owes its origin
to cloud forms.

Fig. 132.— Ornament representing the
Sun (the ball) resting on Cloud.
From over the doorway of a tomb in the
burial-ground outside the wall of Canton.

1 I have seen the temple in which the horse is said to exist, but how this ornament
was got out, or at what time it was added to the Mikado's collection, I cannot say ; but
I am under the impression that I was told by one of the Government officers when in
Nara that it was removed from the horse when the present roof was placed upon the
building. The roof of this temple in which the sacred horse is preserved is the finest
specimen of thatch in Japan, and consists of thin layers of an inner bark of a cone-bearing
tree.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

325

while in the centre of the latter we get that singular onion-
shaped object so generally found in the grasp of the dragon,
forming the terminal ornament of certain forms of pagoda, and

Fig. 153.— Clouds and Moon. By a native artist.

occurring also in the monstrance, and in the great majority of
monumental stones found in Buddhist cemeteries (see Figs. 38,
40, 50, 51. s
This brings us to an important fact. Much of the ornament
which the world has known owes its origin to fire-worship. In
the case of the monstrance (Fig. 50, see portion A), and in that of
the ornament from the sacred horse, we have both cloud and flame
rendered in a decorative manner, and while the ornament of the

326

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

latter generally consists of flat pieces of brass, the "jewel" is
emphasized by being formed of white metal.
In a work like the present it is impossible to illustrate or
discuss fully the facts which I shall have to state ; but the con
clusions arrived at have resulted from the most careful study of
decorative art for nearly thirty years. During this time I have
visited nearly all the museums of Europe, as well as some

Fig. 154. — Carved Box, formed of a root-
joint of the bamboo, decorated with orna
ment having the form of clouds.

Fig. 155. — Branch and Leaves.

countries of the East which are most likely to throw light on the
origin of early ornament. Yet if those who are interested in the
inquiry will visit the Indian Museum at South Kensington and
first observe the Indian gods with their flamboyant nimbi, and
then study Siamese ornament (which owes its forms almost wholly
to flames the very forms of which seem to flicker), and will then
pass downwards to the more modern examples of Indian work
both in metal and fabrics, they will see that the forms which were
first flamboyant became gradually foliaceous, and that flowers
were introduced at a late period, when the origin of ornament
had been forgotten. The cloud ornament certainly does not
owe its origin to the vegetable formation to which some attribute
it (Fig. 155).
Having argued this matter with that astute observer Dr. J.
Lauder Brunton, whose knowledge of ethnology seems only sur
passed by his acquaintance with medicine, and who opposed my

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 327
theory with vehemence, I went with him to Kensington. After two
hours spent in the observation of examples, Dr. Brunton pulled out
an old-fashioned gold watch with a richly-chased margin, and, after
remarking that my deductions were right, said — " And the orna
ment around this watch owes its origin to fire-worship." I do not
for one moment say that all conventional ornamental forms have
sprung from fire-worship, for this is not the case ; but I do assert
that all my researches have led me to the conclusion that most
Indian and some forms of European ornament, as well as forms
which are in common use in Persia, Arabia, and Japan, are due
to the influence of this early religion.
Perhaps the earliest religion of man consisted in the worship
of those things which he feared and yet could not avert— —as the
wind, which, as a tornado, overthrew his dwelling, uprooted the
trees which gave him shelter, and destroyed his crops ; the rain,
which, when it fell in excessive quantities, produced floods ; and
fire, which, when it got the mastery, became a veritable destroyer.
With this we may compare the serpent worship of India ; and, to
this day, Professor Owen tells us, the people of the Gaboon district
in Western Africa pay a sort of homage to the ferocious gorilla
which they all so much dread.
In Japan we find a religion still existing which involves the
worship of fire and the sun ; and this is accompanied by a high
civilisation and the most perfect of arts. Thus, in this strange
country we are brought into contact with ornamental forms of a
most finished character, which are found associated with the re
ligion to which their origin is due.
There is no doubt about certain decorative forms having been
derived from flame and cloud (or cloud-like smoke) ; but when
the flamboyant form first encircled the head of a human effigy as
a nimbus is by no means clear. It is said that the ancient Greeks
placed a sort of platter, or dish, over the heads of their figures in
order to protect them from the weather, and that this is the origin
of the nimbus ; but Mrs. Jameson referred its origin to the primi
tive idea that luminous nebula emanate from, and surround, the
Divine Essence (Homer, II. xxiii. 205), and gilded rays were

328

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

placed by the Romans round the heads of those who received
divine honours. There are one or two examples of this form of
nimbus still in existence which have come to us from the fourth
century B.C.
A large number of those Japanese figures which we find in
the Buddhist temples have a nimbus, that of the great Daibutz
of Kioto (the largest Buddha of Japan)
being seventy-eight feet in diameter ; but
this is a circular and linear nimbus, while
a large number of figures have the flam
boyant form, either behind the head or
behind the entire body, in the form of
the " Vesica Piscis " (Fig. 1 5 6).
My researches in Japan and China
enable me to throw no light on the origin
of the circular nimbus ; but I find in the
oldest temples of Nara some curious and
interesting modifications of this form.
One had a wheel -like character, as it
consisted of a peripherical margin, a cen
tral boss, and eight spokes connecting the
rim with the centre ; but on the margin
were three tongues of flame, one occupying
an upper and central position, while the
other two terminated the horizontal spokes.
The position of a fourth (should such exist)
would be hidden by the figure.
Another nimbus consisted of a ring enclosing a flower with
eight petals, the tips of which touched an enclosing hoop, and
from a central boss proceeded a number of stamens, and eight
sets-of-three wires — -the wires being about three times the radius
of the circle in length.
When I first saw this nimbus I mistook its centre for a passion
flower, and it was wonderfully like some of our treatments of that
blossom. The arrangement of the rays so perfectly corresponds
with a form of nimbus with which we are familiar that one is

Fig. 156. — Figure with "Vesica
Piscis." From the graveyard
of the temple Sennichi - kana-
butsu, Osaka.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

329

Fig. 157. — Nimbus of a Buddhist Saint in one of
the old Temples of Nara. The flower is formed
of hammered metal, and the rays of rigid wires.

forced to the conclusion that those employed in our ecclesiastical
art and those which are so general in Japan have had a common
origin. Buddhism is older by six centuries than the Christian Era,
and its diffusion is wider than that of Christianity, being pro
fessed by nearly one-third
of the entire human
race. According to Griffis,
it has a literature per
haps larger than that of
all other religions com
bined. I mention these facts
to show the extent of
the influence exercised by
the religion which has so
powerfully acted upon the arts of Japan ; and here I may state
my belief that most of the Christian symbols were derived from
older religions, and that at some early time there has been a some
what intimate association between countries now widely separated,
and that this association has resulted in the use, through East and
West alike, of identical forms.
My reasons for thinking that Buddhists used the nimbus and
the flamboyant " Vesica Piscis " before they entered into Christian
symbolism are these : — I find them on the images in temples and
by the roadside wherever I travel ; and some of these images
are very old. Buddhism was introduced into Japan in all prob
ability soon after the beginning of the Christian era, but it
made little headway until the thirteenth century, when it spread
rapidly throughout the land. How old the idols in some of the
temples are it is impossible to say, but a number of Buddhist
missionaries arrived, together with mathematicians, astronomers,
and others, from ¦&& Corea A.D. 5 5 2, to live at the Japanese Court,
and tradition says that with them they brought some of the idols
now preserved at Nara and Kioto. But whether these or later
missionaries brought the oldest of the idols (many of which are

33° JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
obviously of Indian workmanship), and whether the idols were old
or new when brought to the country, this is certain, that the great
Dai-butz at Nara was first erected in the eighth century, although
the original work was destroyed through civil wars, and was
recast in the twelfth century. In its latter form it certainly has a
nimbus, and there is every reason to believe that this latter
Buddha is a mere copy of that which formerly existed.1
Christianity was introduced into Japan in the sixteenth century
by Jesuits, who landed at Satsuma ; but their work was abruptly
ended in A.D. 1637 by the massacre of every Christian in the land.
It is said that thirty-seven thousand then perished.
The nimbus could not, then, have been first introduced with
Christianity ; yet there is the bare possibility that works of the
early Christians may have found their way through Central Asia
to China, and from China by Corea to Japan. Yet this seems
most unlikely, for had such been the case we should surely find
other traces besides the nimbus and flamboyant "Vesica Piscis,"
while the nimbus and Vesica Piscis alone, of all Christian symbols,
appear to have reached this country.
There remains the fact, in the words of Griffis, that " almost
everything that is distinctive in the Roman form of Christianity is
to be found in Buddhism — images, pictures, lights, altars, incense,
vestments, masses, beads, wayside shrines, monasteries, nunneries,
celibacy, fastings, vigils, retreats, pilgrimages, mendicant vows,
shorn heads, orders, habits, uniforms, purgatory, saintly and priestly
intercession, indulgences, works of supererogation, pope and arch
bishops." it is my belief that Buddhism, the older religion of the
two, inherited its pageantry, usages, ritual, the rosary, the nimbus,
and the "Vesica Piscis," from a still earlier form of worship. I can
1 Griffis, who spent some time in Japan, says : — " In medieval times the casting of a
bell, or image, a lantern, or any great sacred object, was the occasion of a public holiday
and festival, and, for the purpose, the priests asked offerings of gold or silver, personal
adornments, mirrors, copper and other metals. At Nara and Kamakura there are the
finest results of these sacred offerings. . . . The casting of the idol [referring to the
great Dai-butz at Nara] was the seventh effort, six failures- having been made, and three
thousand tons of charcoal were used in the operation. The metal, said to weigh 450
tons, is a bronze composed of gold, 500 pounds; mercury, 1954 pounds; tin, 16,827
pounds; and copper, 986,080 pounds."

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 331
bring but little evidence to support such a theory ; but I feel con
fident that research will ultimately show that the circular nimbus
has grown out of fire-worship, and that it is nothing more nor less
than the sun ; for in certain Eastern drawings we find the nimbus
represented as the sun, and the Imperial ensign of Japan is a red
ball, which is nothing but a representation of the sun and an
outcome of fire-worship. This is also the view of Mr. French, but
my own opinion is derived only from the study of Eastern religions
and art.
In the ornament obtained from the crupper of the horse
at Nara we have in the centre of the flamboyant members a
" jewel," and Mrs. Jameson calls attention to the fact that luminous
nebulae were supposed to emanate from the Divine Essence. Now
the Japanese speak ofthe "jewel" as the pearl of great price— a
symbol of Divine Essence — a type of the soul of man. Hence
the idea set forth by Mrs. Jameson as that of ancients is certainly
that of the Japanese.
It is not difficult to conceive an ignorant and superstitious
people picturing to themselves a centre or nucleus as the source
from which fire emanates, for they might easily think there was a
sort of spirit in flame which gave to it consuming qualities. But
however this may be, we find this nucleus or "jewel " in the centre
of many ecclesiastical flamboyant ornaments.
Figures 50 and 51 represent objects associated with the Budd
hist worship which closely resemble the monstrance of the Roman
Catholic Church. The one (Fig. 50) was brought by Mamayado,
a Chinese prince, in the early part of the sixth century from a
temple in China called Koriu as a present to the Japanese. The
prince who brought this was born in a stable, as his name implies ;
while the other (Fig. 51), which belonged to the temple Ishin in
Kioto, was brought by a famous priest called Yenko-Daishi1 also
as a present upon the occasion of his visit to Japan.
These objects are now preserved in the old palace of the
Mikado at Kioto, and it was there I had the privilege of see
ing them, and to Mr. Kawase, the Minister of Commerce, I am
1 Daishi is a name given after death to priests of great celebrity.

332

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

indebted for photographs of these and other objects of the highest
interest. These works were in gold, and in the Kioto collections many
similar objects were of this precious metal. In all cases the
" jewel " was formed of a hollow ball of glass. In one instance it
contained the tooth of a high priest, and in another metallic lumps
found in the ashes after the cremation of a priest. But whatever
they contain their interest to us is great ; for we find flamboyant
ornament, together with clouds, surrounding this jewel in a work
dating from the early part of the seventh century. But, besides the
interest thus attaching to this object, the works before us show
that in the seventh and the thirteenth centuries work equalling
anything produced in later times could be done.
In the collections at Kioto there was one of those monstrances
which had their jewels in the centre arranged as a flat triangular
pile, here we have the thought of a Trinity — the three sides ; but
this arrangement does not seem to have been general ; and as I
do not know the date of it, I must not comment further upon it.
In the heraldry of Japan, however, we find a crest consisting of
three "jewels" with three tongues of flame surmounting them, and
another formed of one "jewel" with the three flames.
On all Buddhist altars we find three bells. One of them has a
handle terminating in a tri
dent ; another has the handle
ending in five prongs, the two
lateral being repeated in a
cruciform manner, while the
other has but one (the cen
tral) prong. There are also
on such altars three curious
objects, each of which is
about six inches in length.
One of these is a double
trident, the prongs being at both ends ; one has a spike at each
end — the central prong ; while the other has the five prongs at
each end. These the priest holds in his hands while praying

Fig. 158. — Instruments held in the Hand by
a Buddhist Priest when he prays in front
of a Censer.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 333
near a censer, and they seem to typify the destructive power of
the Deity (Fig. 1 5 8).
If we trace the history of these forms we are carried back to
remote ages, for not only have we such objects on the monstrance
(Fig. 51) from the thirteenth century, where the trident occurs on
the lower portion of the stand, and the unident (or spear) on the
superposed base, but we have the trident also on the lower portion
ofthe similar object from the seventh century (Fig. 50). In the
Nara collection we find an actual object of this kind, only with
straight prongs, the central of which has two barbs, while the
lateral have but one barb each. In the Kioto antiquities we find
an old sword in the shape of this double trident, only with one of
the central prongs elongated into a blade.
The authorities at Nara told me that this instrument was
originally employed by priests for the catching of madmen ; while
at a later date it seems to have been used for fighting purposes
instead of knuckle dusters. I find it in the clenched hand of
some of those diabolical figures which so often guard the gates of
Buddhist temples.
When considering this double trident we cannot help noticing
the similarity between it and the form by which the Romans
represented Jupiter's thunderbolt ; and there is probably some
connexion between them which we cannot explain.
In the Kioto collection there were one or two examples of
tridents arranged in the form of a cross. I was told that these
were formerly associated with the worship of Buddha, but that
their use was long since abandoned. On a piece of embroidered
silk which formed part of a dress brought from China by a Bud
dhist priest in the early part of the fourteenth century, and which
he left to the temple Nanzen in Kioto, we get this cruciform
arrangement (Fig. 1 5 9).
In looking at this piece of embroidery and comparing it with
other objects at this Kioto Museum, and at Nara, which are sur
mounted with a similar object, notably a bell more than a thousand
years old, we could not fail to see a resemblance in form between
this trident and the British crown. In the specimen at Nara, we

334

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

not only have the five prongs (four of which appear as the bands
of our crown), but we have a ball or orb resting where the five
prongs meet. I do not, of course, affirm that the form of the
British crown and this Bud
dhistic trident have a com
mon origin, although this
may be so ; but the likeness
is such as to justify my
calling attention to it. The
form may have originally
typified a monarch's power
to destroy. With the view of show
ing how forms may persist,
after the influences which
have called them into being
Priest's Dress. It was brought from China in the have lonP" Oast awav I mav
early part of the 14th century. The figure is called or' J t J
T°kko- mention a wooden spoon
common to this day in Turkey, the handle of which consists of
two Byzantine lilies surmounted by a hand. This hand has the
third finger approximated to the thumb, as though it were the

Fig. 159. — Embroidery which formed part of a

Fig. 160. — Turkish Spoon, decorated with Byzantine Lilies, Glory Rays, and
the Hand of the Deity in the act of blessing.

hand of the Deity in the act of blessing the food to be partaken
of by the agency of the spoon. At the point where the two lilies
meet we have a disc of glory-rays (Fig. 1 60).
r)i It is curious to find a spoon of this kind in common use in
Turkey, for the symbols are Christian, and the character of the
work is Byzantine ; yet Constantinople has been Mahometan for
many centuries. This form of spoon must, however, have origin
ated in old Byzantium or some earlier form of worship, and

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 335
its significance being lost, the form has yet survived to the present
day. Another instance which will show the survival of an ornament,
strangely altered during the lapse of time, occurs in the embattled
tops of certain Arabian buildings. The form of these excres
cences of the wall would in no way suggest that they owe their
origin to flames. Not only, however, can this ornament be
traced back to its original shape, but the Moorish name for it
signifies fire or flame ; had not the name suggested the origin of
this embattled form, I should scarcely have been led by its mere
shape to trace it to a symbol of fire-worship.
I give these illustrations simply to show that forms which have
a special significance to a people who create them may survive
in a most unexpected manner, and be even characteristic objects
in a country where we should least expect to find them.
We have been speaking of the trident as an instrument of
destruction ; hence reference should be made to another fact of
some interest. In both the Greek and the Latin churches the
Saviour, when in the act of blessing, is represented with a hand
upraised and the fingers in a particular position ; but the two
churches arrange the fingers differently. In the old city of Nara,
where there were many idols, I observed two with their fingers
arranged in the manner of the two Christian churches, and
others with their fingers differently disposed. When I asked the
meaning of the arrangement of the digits, a priest informed me
that if the fist was clenched tightly with the thumb inside, we have
an indication of the wrath which will destroy the transgressor
utterly. If the fist is closed and the thumb extended, great
anger is indicated, but not utter destruction. The priest could
not remember the exact significance of each position of the
fingers ; but he said that they all symbolised different degrees of
displeasure. In the case of the clenched fist with the enclosed
thumb, reference was made to punishment with the sword ; so
here we have an idea similar to that presented in the Book of
Genesis by the flaming sword guarding the gate of Eden.
The question of the origin of forms found in Japanese art

336 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
is connected with their heraldry. On many of their works,
especially upon fabrics and fine pieces of lacquer, we find certain
decorative devices which might easily be mistaken for mere orna
ments. These are really crests or badges granted to families for
heroic deeds or benefits conferred upon the country, as heraldic
bearings have been awarded to certain families in England.
I know of no book which contains a greater number of
beautiful ornaments than the little volume which constitutes the
illustrated peerage of Japan ; for the crests, although simple in
character, are beautifully designed, and many of them furnish us
with a variety of simple devices derived from an elementary form
which we should scarcely think capable of such various treatments.
Fig. 1 1 6 a to j give some of the crests which have been
derived from the leaf of the Maidenhair-tree, yet these are by no
means all that owe their origin to this foliaceous form ; but
besides these we give a few with the view of pointing out their
significance. Fig. 1 1 6 ^ is a crest representing the wood-work
which stands upon the earth around the orifice of a Japanese
well ; Fig. 1 1 6 j is derived from five anchors ; Fig. 1 1 6 u is two
boat sails ; Fig. 1 1 6 k is the Gohei or Shinto emblem ; Fig. 1 1 6 /is
a form of gong ; Fig. 5 2 consists of four knives, such as were
thrown by female warriors at their enemies in ancient times ;
Fig. 116 o represents three hawk's feathers. Hawking, as we have
seen, was a favourite pastime in Japan (having been introduced
by a Corean Ambassador in the early part of the third century),
as also was fishing by cormorants ; Fig. 1 1 6 n gives five repetitions
of the hammer of Daikoku — the god of riches ; Fig. \\6 r gives
the back view of three sitting hares reduced to a most simple form
with their heads and ears showing over their backs ; Fig. \\6 q
gives us three of those little folded papers which we always find
attached to anything intended as a present in Japan — the Nosu ;
Fig. 1 16/ is a cart wheel ; and Fig. 1 16 m represents the heads of
three arrows used for the cutting of ropes in ancient warfare ; 1
1 A curtain or Baku supported on cords surrounded the headquarters of a com
manding general during battle. These arrows were especially intended to cut these
cords and expose the commander.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 337
but besides these we have crests in the form of mile -stones,
mallets, fir-branches, pine-cones, ships, tops, fans of all kinds, —
including that which the umpire at a wrestling match holds in his
hand, — birds, flowers, drums, roots, helmets, shells, hats, umbrellas,
the rudders of vessels, butterflies, horns, water, clouds, centipedes,
and a hundred other things. The well-known Shogun's crest
(the crest of the Tokugawa family) consists of three leaves of
the Awoi (a species of mallow) arranged in a circle. Crests are
not only derived from a multiplicity of objects, but many of
them are merely variations of one object. Thus in Fig. 116 a to
j we get ten crests from the leaf of the Maidenhair-tree, as we
have just said ; and the number might be largely increased.
Nothing astonished me more during my stay in Japan than
to find that many of the old works had a strong Egyptian feeling.
So striking were these Egyptian characteristics, that I was in
some cases almost tempted to think that the specimens before
me were works by old Egyptian artists.
On certain Buddhist altars we find a branch of the lotus,
ending in a flower and a leaf; while attached to the stem are
scales, a young leaf, and a bud (Fig. 19). Such an object is said
to have been held out by Buddha, when he prayed for his mother.
I need scarcely point out the strange likeness which this object
bears to ancient Egyptian work. There is that rigidity about its
parts, that simplicity, yet dignity, in its treatment, and that stern
conventionality in the drawing of the flower, which would almost
lead us to believe that it was produced under the Pharaohs. In
the two forms of monstrance which we have figured on pages 155
and 1 S 6 we have also conventional representations of the lotus,
equally rigid in their treatment, while many of the Buddhas of
Japan rest on a flower treated in the same conventional manner.
In their temples they use as ornaments on the altars groups of five
lily-buds bound together (Fig. 1 6 1 ), which are not less Egyptian in
character. It must, however, be noticed that the lily associated
with Buddhism is not that of Egypt, the latter being a Nymphaea,
the former a Nelumbium ; but each country has simply used the
flower growing in the land. In both cases the particular lily
Z

338

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

which was familiar to the people was treated with the same rigid
conventionalism. In some Japanese forms of the lotus we have
two longitudinal convex ridges on the

Fig. 162. — Lotus in cast Bronze, preserved in
the Mikado's Treasury at Nara.

petals, such as we find on Egyptian
and Greek leaf-mouldings (Fig. 162).
While speaking of the lotus we
may also notice that a conventional
ornament, having to the scroll-work of
China a relation similar to that which
" the Anthemion " of the Greeks bore
to the ornament of that country, owes
its origin to this flower (see Fig. 163);
but the work of tracing all the modifica
tions, intervening between the natural
representation and the conventional
Anthemion, must be left to the student
who may wish to go farther into the
subject. Again, we have as the insignia
of Japan a golden ball on a red
a white ground, — in other words, a
By the ancient Egyptians a similiar
device was used ; and on Plate V. of Owen Jones' Grammar of
Ornament we have examples of Egyptian work in which this red
ball occurs, Thus, it rests on a lotus~ in the bow of a boat, it

Fig. 161. — Group of Lotus Buds used
on Buddhist Altars.

ground, or a red ball on
representation of the sun.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 339
surmounts a stern-post, it occurs on a feather used on ceremonial
occasions, and it crowns the head of the asp ; while in that
ornament which was placed over every doorway and window-
opening in Egypt we have the sun as the central figure, and

Fig. 163. — Chinese Anthemion. This ornament was derived from the flower of the Buddhist
Lotus (Nelumbium), and the leafage surrounding it from Clouds.

wings and asps placed laterally. On an old lantern, pendent in
the Tofuku-ji near Kioto, for permission to photograph which I
am much indebted to the priests connected with the temple, I
found as a cresting a series of balls, or- suns, resting on cloud
(Fig. 1 49) ; and while the Egyptians never used the cloud as orna
ment so far as I know, the manner in which the ball is here
poised on the rounded masses of vapour cannot fail to remind
us of the way in which the ancient Egyptians both drew and
used their ornaments. I also found a similar ornament crowning
the entrances to tombs in China (Fig. 1 5 2).
Further, we find in old Japanese works water rendered as the
"wave -scroll," and drawn precisely as it was by the Egyptians ;
we see the key-pattern in many varieties, but especially in the

34o JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
more simple ways in which it is found in old Egyptian work.
We also have birds as a favourite ceiling ornament in both
countries, while in each instance a rigid conventionality charac
terises the drawing ; and in some of the renderings of birds there
is a striking similarity between the works of the two countries.
There is also the simple, yet dignified, portrayal of the figure, as
in the Buddhas of Japan, and the sculptured gods and kings of
the Egyptians. There is the use of lotus -leaves on mouldings,
and we have the slanting walls of the buildings (see Figs. 70 and
45). While, again, the Nile god was supposed to dwell in the
lotus-flower, Buddha sits on that blossom as a throne. Besides
all this we find that the priestesses at Nara, while performing
their sacred dance, used the sistrum or rattle in the manner of
the priestesses of Isis, and in both countries the sistrum (like the
yoni of the Hindus) symbolises the celestial virgin.
Then the Japanese pillows bear a close resemblance to those
of ancient Egypt ; the use of the metallic mirror is common to
both nations, and in each the circular form has prevailed. The
Egyptians had the ibis ; the Japanese have the stork ; and in both
countries the bird is sacred. A lion at Thebes is drawn with
a circular ornament on the shoulder, similar to that which we
find on many of the old mythical animals of Japan. Patterns
formed of birds' heads arranged in linear series are not uncommon
in either country. In both we find a sort of capital on granite
columns, formed by painted ornament. Many of the little boxes
such as were made by the Egyptians for toilet purposes bear a
resemblance to little cases which in Japan are adjuncts to the
writing-desk. And in both cases the lid swings on a pivot. A
common form of spoon in Japan has a shell -shaped bowl with a
stick-like handle, while in Egypt we find a similar bowl with a
man's arm as the handle. Both countries have used the " yoke "
for carrying burdens, and in each case it was similar in form ;
both have used the palanquin for the carrying of august person
ages ; both have had the folding camp-stool ; and in each country
large gates were set in pivoted sockets of similar character. Thus
the hinging of doors was managed in the same way in both coun-

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 341
tries, and the people of both nations are characterised by that
peculiar obliquity of the eye which we regard as characteristic
of the Japanese and Chinese races. Both peoples also believed
in astrology (the Japanese will never go to war unless the stars
which constitute the tail of Ursa major point down upon the
enemy), and both acknowledge the mystic character of the num
bers three and seven.
Then, again, the Japanese employ that system of carving in
which the " ground " around the bas-relief is left standing, so that
the surface of the sculptured figure does not protrude beyond the
surface in which it is cut ; yet, so far as I know, this system of pro
ducing what I may call sunk basso-relievo works has not been prac
tised by any other peoples than the Egyptians and the Japanese.
But while the carvings of the temples in Egypt are of this character
the examples in Japan are found only on small objects.
It should also be noticed that the religion of ancient Egypt
bears some analogy to the Shinto worship of Japan. Thus, in
both countries we find the sun as an object of worship, and in
both the Phallic idea is apparent. In Egypt also the sovereign
bore much the same relation to the church that the Mikado does
to Shinto. Thus we find a group of two figures on one of the
ancient Egyptian monuments (the one being that of the- god
Amun-Ra, and the other the Emperor Amunmai-Anemneb), while
on the throne of these deified beings is written the King's name
and titles : " The Priest, the Lord of the World, the Son ofthe Sun,
Lord of Battles, Amunmai-Anemneb beloved by Amun-Ra, the
Giver of Life." In both nations there were many gods.
Nor is this all. There is one coincidence on which I lay more
stress than on any other. Certain drawings of papyri found, if I
remember rightly, on the temple of Philse, have little drops
pending from the upper portions of the inflorescence ; and on
Plate V. of The Grammar of Ornament, Fig. 9, we find the same
peculiarity, while it occurs also on the capital of a column marked
Fig. 7 of Plate VI. of the same work. The nature of these
drops has never been satisfactorily explained.
In a little work entitled The Egyptian Court, described by

342

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Owen Jones and Samuel Sharpe, and published by the Crystal
Palace Company, we find amidst other sketches an illustration of
a column {Fig. 50) and a wall decoration {Fig. 52) with this
peculiarity, and the remarks : — " Fig. 50 is yet more complicated :
it is formed of several rows of flowers, all full-blown, each flower
smaller as it approaches the bottom of the capital. The drops
hanging from the edge of the flowers are not easily explained."
. . . "Fig. 52 is a part of another view of a papyrus-field, in
which all the flowers are full-blown and have drops from the
edges " (Fig. 1 64).

Fig. 164.— Egyptian Drawing of
part of a Papyrus-field.

Fig. 165. — Petal of a Lotus Flower
on which Buddha sits, with a
Jewel pendent from near its
Apex. This Lotus is preserved in one
of the ancient temples of Nara, and
this jewel hangs from each of the
outer petals of the flower.

While visiting the old temples of Nara I observed several
Buddhas sitting on lotus-flowers, from every petal of which hung
pendent a little jewel, or drop ; and in the collection of antiquities
preserved there I found a lotus of great age with green petals
having recurved apices, while from the tip of every petal hung a
little crystal drop set in a brass socket (Fig. 165). There can be
no doubt that whether these jewels are intended to represent
dewdrops, or to typify the water from which the flower rises,
whether they are offerings of jewels to the lily, or whether they
have a significance of which we now know nothing, they are the
same thing represented by the Egyptian artists ; and it is strangely
interesting that Japan should open to us a means of understanding
the nature of forms drawn by the Egyptians some thousands of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

343

years since. From some lotus petals I also observed a curious
ornament depend (see Fig. 166).
The facts already stated may suffice to show that the
Japanese have, at an early period, had inter
course with Egypt ; but there is something
in the " feeling '' with -which certain works have
been executed that cannot be described, and
which yet proves more certainly than any mere
similarity of form the origin from which the
inspiration of the work has been derived. But
how this intercourse between countries so re
mote came about I cannot say. In the early
centuries of the Christian era constant inter
course was kept up between China and Japan ;
and many Buddhist priests from Siam and fig. i66.-Ornament pen-
India also visited the latter country. From the ^ ^s"^™"
eighth to the twelfth century this intercourse *N 0LD Tem"le at
0 J . Nara.
was frequent ; nor must we forget that Cam-
byses, the son of the great Cyrus, made Egypt a Persian province
in the year 523 B.C. Whether communication with Egypt was
conducted through continental Asia or not I cannot say ; but it
is probable that this was the case.
There is a form of cross to which reference ought to be made,
as it occurs frequently in Japan. By some it is termed the
Buddhist cross ; but the Germans know it as the crux gammata ;
we, however, have christened it the fylfot or swastika. In the
Ceramic Arts in Remote Ages Waring traces this form in various
countries, and gives illustrations from Asia Minor ; from a coin of
Syracuse ; from the dress of a figure in the catacombs at Rome ;
from an old Greek urn ; and as found in India, Denmark,
North Germany, and on old works from the American continent.
Dr. Inman regards this as an archaic symbol derived from an
early form of worship,1 and Waring regards the Greek key-
pattern as derived from this cross. Inman tells us, further, that a

1 Ancient, Pagan, and Modern Christian Symbols exposed and explained by Thomas
Inman, M.D.

344

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

particular kind of key -pattern symbolised the tortoise both in
Assyria and Greece.
As the history of this form has been so carefully traced, I need
only call attention to the prevalence of the
swastika in Japan, where it occurs on many
objects connected with Buddhist worship
and as the crest of a noble family.
I may add that I found on an old
sword-handle of native work a pattern
formed by the inlaying of silver in a
dark alloy, seemingly of Celtic origin (Fig.
167). Many of the grand large -headed
nails which are found on the old temple-
gates of Japan are identical with those of
Moorish manufacture still to be seen in
Spain, and a form of pendent lamp, with
two or three trays superposed one above
the other, and used by the Jews in Morocco,
is also a form much employed in the Bud
dhist temples of Japan.
In this chapter I have brought forward
a few facts with the simple purpose of
showing the probable origin of some of the features which char
acterise early Japanese art, and of pointing out to the student
that research into the affinities and migrations of races may be
aided by a consideration of ornament not less than by the study
of a language.

Fig. 167. — Sword-handle of
old Japanese Work. The
ornament is Damascened
work, and is of Celtic char
acter.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 345

CHAPTER III.
THE LACQUER MANUFACTURES.
The art of working with lacquer is of great antiquity in Japan,
and, like most processes practised in the country, was probably
introduced from Corea or China ; but the Japanese attribute the
invention of most of their manufacturing processes to the former.
The assertion that " while the Japanese have invented nothing,
they have improved upon everything that has come before their
notice " is fully borne out by the lacquer-work of the country. The
Chinese certainly make lacquered wares, but in Japan the art has
been brought to a degree of perfection unknown elsewhere ; indeed,
some of their low-relief work is modelled with a tenderness and
delicacy quite equal to that of the best work of the great medalist,
Wyon. It is a pity that we know so little of Corea, for the Japanese
assert that the Chinese as well as themselves learned many
of their industries from the Coreans. I confess that my know
ledge of the Coreans and their industries is very small, and
what little I know has been gathered from the collection of
objects which I saw in the Mikado's palace at Kioto, where
there was a room full of treasures brought by Japan's great
warrior who re -conquered Corea at the end of the sixteenth
century — from certain articles offered for sale by the best
curio dealers of Kioto and Tokio, and from some few pieces of
pottery which have found their way into Europe from this strange
country.

346 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
As far as I have seen, most of the objects brought from Corea
appear to be Chinese works which have been imported to that
country, although this idea is quite inconsistent with the Japanese
belief that the Chinese have derived many of their methods of work
and certain styles of ornament from the people of this peninsula.
However this may be, the inaccessibility of Corea prevents our
tracing back the manufactures of Japan to this country ; and we
want a Commodore Perry to open to us Corea as he did Japan.1
This, however, is certain, that at one time Japan enjoyed consider
able intercourse with Corea, and that a large commerce was
carried on between the two countries. Indeed, Japan received
either from or through Corea the civilisation which it has en
joyed for some hundreds of years ; but I have never seen even
one piece of lacquer which could be regarded with certainty as of
Corean origin.
In the Mikado's collection of antiquities at Nara there are
certain pieces of lacquer-work which are known to be more than a
thousand years old, and in the palace in Kioto are many ancient
works of this character with known dates ; but until about six
hundred years back the art could only be regarded as having been
in a crude state. At this period able artists were employed to
paint the patterns upon lacquered objects, and low -toned colours
were somewhat freely used upon such productions.
The actual workmanship was at this time less meritorious than
it became at a later date ; but there was an art quality about the
work which has scarcely been equalled since. About three
hundred years back the lacquer -workers themselves undertook
the decoration of the objects formed, and then the highest mani
pulative excellence was attained — an excellence which charac
terised the best lacquer wares down to about one hundred years
back. During this period of two centuries little colour was employed
in the lacquer-work, but much gold was used ; and those particular
kinds of work in which " clouded " gold effects, avanturines, and
tesselated gold are introduced, as well as low-relief modelling of a
1 While this work has been in the press Corea has been opened to us.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 347
most perfect kind, were invented and brought to a high state of
perfection. While the best work, as regards the skilful treatment of lacquer
as a material, was made during the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, it must not be supposed that a sudden decline in the
lacquer-worker's art took place at about the year 1 800. Men
have since lived who must be regarded as great masters of their
art; and I believe that works are now produced equal to the finest
productions of the two great centuries of lacquer-working, although
there was a decline in the art for a few years.
In the last Paris International Exhibition a large folding
screen was exhibited by a Yokohama dealer named Chogoro,
which was in every sense a work of the greatest excellence.
Besides the bold, magnificently-treated, foliage, which was of the
most tenderly-worked lacquer, lotus flowers were formed of pearl
and wisteria flowers of small polished mussel shells, which in
conjunction with the lacquer-work vastly heightened its effect.
This work was one of the most marvellous that lacquer-workers
have ever made; and while it sold for some hundreds of pounds, it
was, as a work of art, a thing to be loved and treasured quite as
much as a painting by a master-hand.
I cannot help thinking that we in England over-estimate the
decorative value of pictures. Many who cover their walls with
costly paintings have scarcely an object in their houses besides
these which has any art merit. The vases on the chimney-piece,
the epergne on the table, the nick-nacks in the cabinets, and the
service for the afternoon tea-drinking, are all alike incongruous
and meretricious. Surely persons whose houses are thus furnished
have but little real love of the beautiful ; he who admires what is
pleasant in form and lovely in colour would regard the beauty of
each object around him and the tout ensemble.
Choice objects in lacquer are about the most recherche" of
drawing-room ornaments, and in art merit exceed almost any of
the bric-a-brac now collected. Indeed, some specimens are so
perfectly worked, so rich in decoration, so minute in detail, and
so tender in execution as to be fit for a place in any boudoir in

348 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the land ; and the soft smoothness of their surface is almost more
perfect than that of the most fragile porcelain.
But the choice works of which I speak were not made with
any view to their money value. Like most of the beautiful objects
which Japan formerly produced they were created for the use of
some Daimi6 or as presents for his friends.
In the great Yashiki (spread-out house) of the Daimid were
lodged, beside the owner and his family, a number of retainers and
handicraftsmen, who were fed and clothed by the prince whom
they served. The handicraftsman thus provided for had no cares
or anxieties, and sought no money in return for his work. His
wants were fully met by the provisions made for him in his master's
abode. It was his care and aim to please his master, and he well
knew that by the production of excellent work the end of his
ambition would be gained. No thought of haste entered into his
mind ; no hurrying to make a showy day's work was thought of :
his only desire was that of producing the best work that man can
achieve. Works thus made have an inexpressible charm.
A few years since, lacquer objects of the highest excellence
could be purchased at a trifling cost ; but now these old works
are so much sought after by the Japanese themselves, as well as
by those of advanced taste in England, France, and America,
that they are becoming both rare and costly. Indeed, so valuable
has old lacquer now become in Japan, that pieces have been bought
in London, and returned to the country in which they were made
in order to be sold again.
In Yokohama, for a box about six inches square, and dating
from the end of the seventeenth century, I was asked a sum equal
to one hundred pounds in English money, and Lady Parkes told
me that a friend of hers had given for a fine specimen its weight
in gold. The Japanese appreciate not only those elaborately-
decorated wares, but also certain objects which exhibit a peculiar
quality of lacquer ; of this they judge chiefly by its hardness. On
the wonderful mountain Koya-zan the priest of the temple in
which we stayed presented me with a little tray of old red lac
quer. To me this was a somewhat imperfect work ; its surface

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 349
was not very smooth ; the grain of the wood and brush marks
were visible on its surface, while in parts the red was rubbed off,
and black showed through. Upon seeing this tray, Mr. Ishida,
who was an excellent judge of lacquer, tapped it with the points
of his finger nails, and then spoke of the excellence of the lacquer.
Upon my asking what constituted its merit, he told me that it
was its hardness. He also said that while common lacquer would
easily scratch, that of superior quality could be indented only
with difficulty.
Soon after this Mr. Ishida's statement was verified in a
manner for which I was scarcely prepared. After purchasing,
amongst other things, a lacquer " spill " of great beauty, and
made eighty years since by a most excellent man, whose ancestors
for eight generations had made similar work, I told a packer to
treat this rare object with great care. Fancy my state of mind
when I saw my beautiful " spill " filled with old nails and bits of
rough iron ! I stormed and blustered ; emptied the vessel of
its contents, wiped it tenderly, felt for it as I should for a dog
whose tail had been crushed, and ordered the packer to wrap it
in many thicknesses of soft paper, and give it a box all to itself.
In an hour after this I returned to see how the packing was
proceeding, and how my injunctions had been obeyed. To my
surprise and disgust I saw my favourite pot again filled with
nails and scrap-iron. My wrath knew no bounds ; and with
more of the British lion in my voice and gestures than I am
in the habit of displaying, I hurled at the poor packer an amount
of abuse which I should not like to see in print. When my
wrath was somewhat exhausted, the poor man, whom I had so
lavishly censured, said calmly, " You would not have me put them
into the. commoner articles, for if I did they would be scratched ;
but this is the best lacquer and cannot scratch." I am bound
to say that he was right, and that I cannot now find any mark
on my lovely spill which tells of the rough usage to which it was
subjected. As I write I have before me two or three pieces of lacquer,
the ages of which are accurately known ; so with the view of

3 5° JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
enabling my readers to judge, as far as possible, of the age of
such works, I will describe them somewhat minutely. Here is
a box made about five hundred years since, and therefore before
the period at which the lacquer-worker became his own decorator.
It bears a pattern drawn entirely with a " touchy " or " broken "
gold outline, and consisting of circular ornaments (one of which
is a conventionally-treated bird with a cloven tongue of fire upon its
head), clouds, leaves with five leaflets, conventional pomegranates,
and coral-like scroll ornaments, some of which are filled with
small diaper patterns. The ground is black, and the enrichments
are " filled in " with dull red, raw sienna, and dark olive-green
colours ; but the outline has been drawn first, and the filling-in
colours do not quite meet it.
Here is a tray belonging to the same period, and decorated
with the same class of ornament ; but the work in this instance is
somewhat inferior, and is evidently that of a different hand. But
while this tray is square with corners cut off, the painted ornament
only occupies a central circle, while the marginal portion is covered
by figures in low-relief. This modelled work gives to the outer
portion, both in texture and character, much the appearance of
stamped leather. Works of the period now being considered are
imperfect ; but there is a merit in both design and execution
which the artist cannot fail to perceive.
Now we will notice a writing-box, which dates from the end
of the sixteenth century. It is nine inches and a quarter in
length, eight inches and a half in width, and two inches in depth,
with an overhanging lid. It is of black lacquer, with a few cloud
like ornaments on its side, while the bevelled edges of the lid scin
tillate with pearl dust. On the top of the lid is a device represent
ing six strips of paper, strung on two threads knotted together; but
both the front and the back strip are represented as obliquely
folded in the centre. Each strip is one and a half inch in width,
by about seven in length ; but while they represent paper, they are
yet formed of metal. The first has a silver surface, decorated with
clouds, while its back (as seen where it is turned over) is of gold.
On this gold surface clouds are also drawn. The second and the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 351
third strips are each of pearl — the one being decorated with
representations of water, and crests having the form of a cart
wheel, while the other is figured with broken diaper patterns.
On the inside of the lid we have a similar bunch of papers, only
here one is of avanturine lacquer, while on two gold strips the
figure consists of flowers formed of pearl.
It is curious that while we have here the elements of gaudi-
ness, this work presents a refinement of effect, as well as a finish,
which few Europeans' works possess. If we use gold freely we
generally get a meretricious effect ; and by the inlaying of pearl
we almost invariably secure vulgarity ; but with the Japanese the
lustrous surface of mother-o'-pearl is so skilfully used as to produce
repose, rather than garishness, in the object which it decorates.
The last work is a beautifully-finished box, such as Japanese
of high rank support their heads on during sleep, as we do on a
pillow. This object is exquisitely made, and is covered with a
small diaper pattern in gold on a black ground. Here and there
are dispersed over the diaper-work heraldic devices, which
constitute the Shogun's arms. In some cases the crest is wholly
of gold, while in others it is in part silver, for colour plays no
part in Japanese heraldry. These crests, and certain portions of
the diaper, have a raised gold outline ; while the finish of the
whole is extremely perfect. This box is about one hundred years
old, and is a fair specimen of the late work of the eighteenth
century. On some of the examples from this particular period, and also
from a somewhat earlier date, we find sprays of flowers in low
relief modelled with the tenderness of the image on a shilling ; but
I must not attempt to describe such works, for no description will
convey an accurate idea of modelled ornament.
A kind of lacquer formerly made in Japan (at Wajima in the
province of Noto) under the powerful prince of Kaga, is much
valued. It is generally black in colour; but its peculiarity lies in
the fact that it is ornamented by scratched, or scraffito, work, into
which gold is rubbed. I have here before me two old boxes
made under this Daimid, and decorated in this manner. They

352 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
are very beautiful, and are figured with a most careful drawing of
a graceful grass called susuki, a plant much admired by the
educated Japanese, and one of the seven celebrated autumn
flowers of the country.
Of this particular lacquer ware there are but few specimens in
the country. Indeed, I am not sure of having seen any specimens
besides the two which I myself possess. Inferior imitations of this
ware are, however, still made in Japan, both with and without
gold in the scratched work, one of the seats of this modern
manufacture being Kuroye-Mura, near Wakayama ; but the ware
here made is altogether inartistic. Some similar ware is also
made at Osaka.
There was another kind of lacquer made by a man called
Ritsuo, whose work became most celebrated, and who lived about
two hundred years ago. This man made lacquer boxes with
raised ornaments, the whole being black and bearing a striking
resemblance to objects carved in jet. This ware was an imitation
of old Chinese lac -work. Before me is a specimen of the Chinese
work made in the year I573> A-D-
Ritsuo also placed raised figures on fan-holders, and made
shell-like vessels, to which he gave an appearance of iron. He
also incrusted cups and vases with lacquer, and gave to these also
an iron-like surface. I am not aware that " iron lacquer " was
produced at a period earlier than this, but whether Ritsuo was the
inventor of this particular ware or not I cannot say.
Some works of this great manufacturer have come into this
country. But the majority of the pieces which reach England are
made by Ikede Zeshin, a man who still lives, and who has not
only adopted the style of his predecessor, but makes deceptive
imitations of the older work ; even the cracks and chips of the
old specimens being counterfeited.
Another ware, much prized in Japan, is characterised by heavy
pieces of lead so inlaid that they protrude from the surface of the
lacquer. Generally such works have a certain amount of gold
decoration as well as this raised lead-work, while in a few pieces
some portions of the lead are covered with a thick layer of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 353
burnished gold. To the English eye this lead-work appears crude ;
but the Japanese admire the contrast of the common metal with
the beautiful surface with which it is usually associated.
When Mr. Kawase, the Japanese Minister of Commerce, visited
England a short time since, he sent me a magnificent specimen of
this particular work, with the following kind letter : —
" The accompanying trifle, which I have brought with me, is simply a mark
of respect to you, whose intelligent suggestions have done so much to promote
the arts and manufactures of Japan.''
Another kind of lacquer which has great excellence and
marked characteristics may be described as more or less resembling
the carved red lac boxes, which are amongst the most interesting
of Chinese manufactures ; but this Japanese ware is not carved
after the lacquer has been applied to it. Yet many existing
specimens made by a great master of the art who lived in Tokio
are very charming, for while the ground of his works is either
covered with a minute geometrical diaper or a morocco-leather
texture, the little clouds, conventional birds, scroll-work, and
medallions placed upon it are generally wrought with great care
and feeling, some of the medallions being exquisitely rendered
and with parts almost as sharp as the cut lac of China.
In all specimens of this ware that I have seen the ground
work is slightly " dead," and has the appearance of being carefully
dusted with Vandyke -brown powder, while all the raised parts,
however fine, are black and polished. This ware to some extent
resembles that by the celebrated Ritsuo ; but the work of which
we now speak has a diapered or " tooled " ground with the sunk
surfaces of powdery character, whereas that of Ritsuo which
bears raised ornaments, so far as I know, always has a smooth
ground, and much more nearly resembles simple jet-work than
any other form of lacquer ware.
How this old ware was made I am not certain, but the present
manufacture, as carried on in Tokio, consists in carving wood with
great accuracy, and then giving to this wood (however minute the
pattern cut upon it) one or more coatings of lacquer.
2 A

354 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
I have also found inferior work of this description made by
cutting devices in a thick, leather-like paper, and sticking these on
to wood, and by affixing impressed ornaments to the surfaces of
boxes and trays, and then giving to them a coat of lacquer. But
such works have little or no art value, and are comparatively
without interest.
There are in Japan many kinds of lacquer -work besides
those already mentioned, and many men have lived who have
produced characteristic kinds of work. It is impossible for me
to enumerate all of these, for there is scarcely a celebrated
maker whose works have not been imitated by others ; and
the untrained eye cannot distinguish these imitations from the
original works : certainly without the opportunity of comparing
originals with imitations, no one can learn to separate one from
the other. There is much lacquer-work of varying merit made throughout
the whole of Japan. A man named Shunsai, of Kioto, is now
celebrated for the manufacture of black lacquer sachi kettles and
such things as are used for the " tea ceremony " (Cha-no-yu). A
black lacquer-ware with bold vermilion ornaments is also made in
Kioto, while a kind of work in which consecutive layers of different-
coloured lacquers are superposed one on the other, while the
whole is incised with convoluted but deeply-cut V-sinkings by
which the various-coloured layers are exposed, is made at Osaka.
Interesting boxes, formed of wood covered with fine basket-
work (like that which encloses many of the eggshell sachi cups)
and decorated with good raised lacquer-work, are sometimes made
in Suruga ; but the fine specimens appear to owe their origin to
the Loochoo Islands. It is surprising what beautiful drawing and
careful modelling is produced by the agency of lacquer on rough
grounds. I have seen specimens of this ware with ornaments
wrought upon them but little inferior to any work that I have
ever met with.
Little trays, formed of a wood dug from bogs and closely
resembling the bog-yew of Ireland, are everywhere to be seen.
These have little flowers in gold lacquer upon them. All such

AR T, AND ART M ANU FA CTURE S. 3 5 5
works are, I believe, comparatively modern. The earlier speci
mens have merit, but those which are now found in the English
market are common and uninteresting.
While works in lacquer were produced in many parts of Japan,
the finest were made in Kioto ; but excellent specimens were also
produced in Tokio. Since the removal of the Court from Kioto
the manufacture of artistic works in this beautiful material has
been chiefly centred in the present capital.
In speaking of Japanese lacquer-work we must not overlook
the fact that lacquer is applied to many purposes of which we
in this country know absolutely nothing. Thus the floors of the
great temples are covered with lacquer, and have a surface as
bright as that of any tea-tray ; and while these great temples are
as highly coloured as the Alhambra at Grenada, their polychro
matic effects are due to the admixture of lacquer with pigments.
Some of the lacquered panels in the temples are of vast size,
and the carvings which are so frequently seen on the temple
enclosures are large and bold ; yet every portion is lacquered with
the utmost care. These large masses of lacquer-work are quite
unknown to us in England.
As regards the places in which lacquer wares are made, we
have already said that the best are produced in Tokio and Kioto,
but the districts of Aidzu and Yechizen are almost given up to
this manufacture, while in the province of Dewa yellow lacquer
goods are made.
The manufacture of lacquer wares is carried on in ordinary
houses, and not in any special building or manufactory. The
lacquer-workers kneel upon matted floors, just as though they were
resting in the living apartment and were not engaged in any
special industry ; while, if the work is good, the room in which it
is made is exquisitely clean and perfectly free from dust.
Lacquer is almost invariably placed upon wood, and not upon
paper, as is often supposed. Indeed, lacquered papier-mache' work
is but little known in Japan, and is made in but one small district.
Trays thus made are usually decorated with figures, and are invari
ably common in quality. I know of but one consignment of such

356

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

goods having reached England ; and out of some scores despatched
from Japan, I believe only three or four reached this country
whole, the material of which they are formed being of a brittle
character. There are a few very small and delicate " waiters,"
of but a few inches in diameter, made in Tokio of sheets of paper
pasted together ; but broadly speaking, all good Japanese lacquer-
work has a wood foundation.
If we take the formation of a cup or bowl, however thin it
may be, it is first rudely formed from a piece of perfectly dry, soft

Fig. 168.— Lathe.

wood. It is then placed in the lathe and turned ; but the lathe
has not a continuous rotary motion, as its spindle revolves first in
one direction and then in the other, in the manner of our "bow-
drill" (Fig. 1 68).
When the object has been formed in the lathe, the lacquer-
worker carefully examines it ; and, by the aid of his lacquer,
which he now uses as a glue, sticks over each faulty or weak
place, should there be any, a piece of thin fibrous paper, or entirely
covers the object with this material. The next process consists
in giving the vessel a coat of raw lacquer, but into this first
coating clay-dust or some earthy powder is generally introduced
with the view of giving it hardness. Another coat is now added ;
but between the several coats the article is carefully "rubbed

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 357
down " with a " cutting " stone. The surface of lacquer goods is
worked up in much the same manner as our carriage bodies,
clay-dust or stone powder being used with the lacquer whenever
the surface is to be much ground down. If the object is to be of
excellent quality, it will have received eleven coats of lacquer
before any decoration is placed upon it. But the coats are not
all the same ; for after two or three layers of lacquer containing
earthy matter have been applied, other coatings are given with an
inferior quality of lacquer, in which colour may or may not be
present, but which has none of the earthy matter used in the
earlier coats.
After the application of the latter coatings the surface is
ground with hard charcoal. This charcoal is used in lumps which
are constantly dipped in water ; and, after several coats of lacquer
have been applied, and rubbed down, the final surface is pro
duced (if it is to be a fine work) by three or four layers of the
best lacquer each being carefully ground to a smooth surface. For
producing the final surface lumps of soft charcoal are used, which,
like the hard, are kept wet. The work is now polished with ash
of deer's horns.
The pattern which is to be formed upon the object is
drawn upon a sheet of fibrous, and somewhat elastic, paper ; and
the drawing is made in fine outline with lacquer used as a paint.
This drawing is now transferred to the object to be decorated by
bringing the surface of the drawing in contact with it. When
the paper is so arranged that it fits to the curved surface,
simple pressure of the hand suffices to make the transfer. The
paper is now gently separated from the bowl, or whatever is about
to be decorated. But to insure that the lacquer thus leaves the
paper it must have been previously warmed.
This process of transferring closely resembles the method by
which we " print " patterns upon earthenware ; and all designers
of patterns for our manufactures know some method of getting
designs from one paper to another. Thus far there is no novelty
to us in the process.
The transfer being made, if the pattern is to have a gold

358

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

outline, the transfer line is followed by a fine hair pencil contain
ing lacquer, which acts as a gold-size. When this lacquer line
has become sufficiently dry, fine gold dust is shaken on it from
a spoon. Some of this powder adheres to the tackey surface,
but what is not thus fixed is returned to a saucer in which the
gold is kept. This gold powder has a gray hue, but by burnishing
it assumes the yellow colour.
It will be noticed that on most fine pieces of lacquer- work
there is gold of two or three kinds. Sometimes we have masses
of great solidity and brilliancy, while more frequently we see
little tesserae glinting from gold of a less brilliant character.
The less brilliant gold always results from the adhesion of
gold powder to the surface of half-dry lacquer ; but the tesserae,
and the solid masses of which we have spoken, are produced by
the use of gold leaf of the thickness of writing paper.
Upon my asking a workman to show me how this tesselated
work is produced, he took a small sheet of gold about an inch in
A B c length and a third of an inch
in width (Fig. 1 69, A.) This
he placed horizontally upon a
curved piece of bamboo, which
had been previously blacked
(Fig. 170, A). He bound
it in its position by placing
over it a piece of semi-trans
parent paper which he tied to
the curved bamboo with a string (Fig. 1 70, b). With a curious knife
(Fig. 170, C, shows part of its blade) having the shape of a chisel,
and with the sides sharpened as well as the end, he cut the little
leaf of gold into strips ; but as the extreme end of the leaf
was folded over the edge of the bamboo, these strips were still
attached at one end (Fig. 169, b). In order to cut the sheet of gold
the paper was also cut through. This little sheet of gold, being
now cut in strips, is liberated from the bamboo to which it was
strapped. It is now held on the curved piece of bamboo by the
thumb and finger in any convenient position, and strips are cut

^gt

Fig. 169.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

359

across by the same knife (Fig. 1 69, c). As each row of tesserae
is thus formed, the little bits of metal are carefully shaken into a
black saucer. These tesserae are now applied to the lacquer sur
face in the following manner.
A few are shaken into a small black tray with a slightly
raised rim, over which
they are spread as much
as possible (Fig. 1 70, D).
With a small pointed
stick, held in the right
hand, the tesserae are
picked, one at a time
(Fig. 170, E), from the
tray (which is held in
the left hand by a little
strap like our gilder's
cushion), and are applied
to an adhesive lacquer
surface. It will gener
ally be found that these
little squares of bright
gold are dispersed in a
surface formed of gold powder ; but in some cases flowers are
formed of exceedingly minute portions of this thick gold leaf, and
in some cases silver is used in a similar manner.
I have here before me, as I write, a little medicine case which
is decorated with certain sprays of the Susuki grass and certain
umbelliferous plants ; but its peculiarity consists in the fact that
each head of blossoms (of which there are many) consists of
hundreds of these little gold tesserae. So close are the tesserae
together that at first sight each umbel of the umbelliferous plant
might seem to consist of but one piece of slightly rough gold.
On this little medicine case, which is three and a quarter
inches in length, two and a quarter inches in width, and seven
eighths of an inch in thickness in its widest part, there are fifty-
nine heads of flowers, each being half an inch in length and

Fig, 170.

360 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
three -sixteenths of an inch in width. On each eighth of an inch
of these flower-heads, there are about one hundred and twenty
distinct pieces of gold ; thus, taking each head as having a super
ficial area of five square eighths of an inch (not five-eighths of an
inch square), there are about six hundred tesserae in each of these
heads, or over thirty-five thousand on the box.
But this is not all ; the little heads of Susuki grass are tipped
with these little cubes : hence the number of these small tesserae
(which have been applied one by one to the medicine case) must
be very large. For this interesting little work I am indebted to
Mr. Wakai, a gentleman whose acquaintance I made in Japan, and
have had the opportunity of renewing in this country, which he
visited some little time back.
When watching the process of lacquer manufacture in Japan,
I observed an old man producing cloud-like effects on a cabinet
that promised to be of great beauty when finished. By his side
was a sheet of paper about eighteen inches square, on which were
a number of small saucers — perhaps twelve or more. In each of
these saucers was a gold or pearl powder. There was gold of
different colours and different

J

degrees of fineness. Across
FlG each saucer rested a reed, hav
ing an internal diameter of
about three-sixteenths of an inch. Each of these reeds was cut
diagonally at the bottom, and over the diagonal orifice was glued
a small piece of fabric. To me this appeared to be silk (Fig.
171). This fabric acted as a sieve, and in the tubes were gold
dust, pearl powder, or colour. As the fabric was finer or coarser,
so the powder that came through it was fine or coarse. Some of
the fabrics were so fine that only atoms, which when alone were
imperceptible, came through them.
If any part of an object was to be clouded, a reed was taken
with a fabric, both thick and fine, fastened over its end. This
was held in the hand of the workman much as we hold a pen.
A vibrating motion was now given to it by a tapping with the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 361
fourth finger ; thus the finest of dust fell on the sticky lacquer and
formed the edge of the cloud. Now a slightly coarser powder
was used from another reed ; then perhaps a sprinkle of colour,
— the colour being used if a tint were required with the gold.
Over the gold, however applied, one coating, at least, of
lacquer is spread, unless the work is of the very commonest
sort. The latter coatings fill the interstices between the par
ticles of gold or pearl, or whatever has been used in the forma
tion of the pattern. After the application of the last coating of
lacquer the object was passed to a woman, who rubbed it down
with a small piece of charcoal, kept flat by frequent grinding on
a stone. This charcoal is made from various woods, and is of varying
degrees of hardness — a rough kind being used for the first coat,
and a finer for each consecutive surface. So carefully is this
rubbing down effected, when the work is of the finest quality,
that such lacquer as fills the interstices between the particles of
the gold only remain — all else being most carefully removed. This
being done, the surface received one or two thin coats of lacquer,
each of which was ground down by charcoal, when a final polish
was given by the ash of deer's horn applied by soft leather.
Raised work results from the use of lacquer mixed with red
oxide of iron. If the "relief" is to be great, this mixture is at
first crudely applied by the agency of a spatula and brush. By
repeated painting the relief figure is brought gradually to assume
something of the form desired. Delicacies of form are now pro
duced by the most skilful grinding with small strips of charcoal.
All good relief-work results from processes of painting and grind
ing, and not from anything analogous to carving ; by such means
the most delicate and tender of modelled ornament is produced.
When this work has been brought to the form required, the
parts may be coloured or covered with gold ; or they may be
first covered with some coloured pigment, and then have gold or
silver dusted upon them. In the latter case the colour will show
through the powder and have a tinted lustrous effect.
i? Lacquer is dried by being placed in a cool cupboard, which

362 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
has been washed with water immediately before the lacquer has
been placed in it. While some say that lacquer will not dry
unless in a damp atmosphere, I feel sure that moisture is employed
simply to prevent its cracking, which, I believe, it will do if it be
placed in a dry air. The cupboard used for this drying process
in one of the chief factories in Tokio was in the corner of the
workroom, and was about five feet broad, three feet high, and
eighteen inches deep ; it had shelves formed of square wooden
laths, and the interior of its ceiling or top was brushed over with
water every morning. The lacquer takes from eight to eleven
hours to dry in this chamber.
In the case of common lacquer-work the surface is polished
with deer's-horn charcoal and soft leather, and then the drawing
is made in lacquer to which gold is applied, but no protecting
coat is added.
The inlaying of pearl in lacquer is effected almost exactly as
we inlay it in our papier-mache^ work, the process differing only
in details. The pieces of pearl from which the parts to be inlaid
are cut are very thin, and can be used as tracing-paper. Before a
work, which is to contain inlaid pearl, is begun, a drawing of
the pattern is made on a sheet of paper ; this drawing is trans
ferred to the box or tray upon which the pattern is to be wrought.
Little sheets of pearl are now placed over those parts of the
pattern which are to appear in this lustrous material ; the forms
covered by the sheet of pearl are traced upon it ; then the little
sheets are removed.
With a curious chisel -like knife the pearl is cut into the
necessary shapes, and is stuck by lacquer in its respective posi
tions. After all the pearl is in its place, the whole surface is
covered with repeated coats of lacquer, by which the pearl is
entirely hidden. By grinding a smooth surface is secured, and
the pearl again appears, but is now level with the general surface
of the object. The pattern is again transferred to the surface,
having been fitted to the bits of pearl, so that they may take their
right places ; and the decoration in gold or colour proceeds as
already described.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 363
Lacquer is a substance which in appearance much resembles
treacle or dissolved shellac, and like these substances it is some
times pale and sometimes dark in colour. In many respects
lacquer is allied to gutta-percha and similar substances. It is
unhurt by hot water or ordinary acids. It resists the action of
vinegar and boiling ascetic acid ; and caustic potash does not
hurt it. Hence it cannot be injured by any ingredients used in
cookery. When in a fluid state it is highly corrosive ; and if one drop
comes in contact with the skin it generally eats its way through
to the bone and produces a serious wound. Even from visiting
a lacquer factory some persons take a kind of fever.
There are many details respecting the lacquer manufactures
which it is impossible here to notice ; and celebrated men have
little secrets of their own which they will not readily divulge.
For the production of coloured surfaces certain pigments are
mixed with the lacquer, while very frequently a vegetable
colouring-matter is used to make a desired tint. But the character
of the work and the degree of its excellence is due largely to the
nature of the lacquer used, and to the manner in which it is
treated. Raw lacquer is a tenacious fluid of a gray-brown colour which
" skins " over like our oil paint upon exposure to the air. When
collected from the tree it is allowed to stand and settle. The
better quality now rises and the impurities sink, so nothing more
than decanting is needed to separate the good from the inferior.
But straining through cotton or a porous paper is resorted to as a
means of refining the lacquer.
Superior lacquer is stirred in the open air, by which process
it becomes more or less oxydised, at the same time it loses its
excess of water and assumes a brilliant dark colour.
Usually lacquer is brought to a surface by processes of
grinding and final polishing, as we have already seen ; but by the
use of a kind of " dryers '' called ye-no-abura (an oil derived from
a labiate plant called Perilla ocimoides) it is changed into a varnish
which acquires brilliancy by mere hardening.

364 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Used thus, its colour is a lustrous, transparent, and warm
yellow ; but by the use of gamboge, the sap of unripe persimmons,
or other vegetable stains, the richness of its hue is increased.
Richness of effect in a finished work is also secured by staining
the object to be varnished, instead of by modifying the character
of the varnish itself.
Black lacquer (called roiro-urushi) is produced by stirring
crude lacquer in the open air for two or three days, and by adding
to it a little water impregnated with iron, or with iron and tannic
acid. In this way the richest black is produced ; and the addi
tion of the water is absolutely necessary for the attainment of
great brilliancy.
Just as some of our artists when painting a black dress
" ground " their work with red, so as to give richness to the black,
some Japanese lacquer- workers introduce into black certain stains
with the view of giving " quality " to the colour. If the lacquer
is too thick for use it is thinned by rubbing into it a small amount
of camphor. For all purposes in which the adhesion of gold, silver, or colour
is desired, lacquer, converted into a varnish by the addition of oil,
is used. Plasticity, by which it is rendered susceptible to stamped
impressions, is given to lacquer by the addition of powdered beans
or albumen from eggs ; and many effects produced by lacquer are
due to the quality which it thus acquires. By a process of
stamping and filling of the depressions all kinds of marble effects
are produced. A form of marbled lacquer called tsugaru-nuri is
made in this way, but the stamped surface is covered with tin-foil
before the later coats of lacquer are applied. Specimens of this
work are not common in England, although they are so in Japan.
There is another variety of lacquer called wakasa-nuri produced
in a similar manner.
Akita lacquer is made by varnishing with lacquer, to which
a volatile oil has been added, wood or flattened bamboo, previously
coated with size to which a little alum has been added. The best
is produced on junks lying out at sea, so as to avoid dust.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 365
Inferior works are formed in various ways : by sizing the
object to be lacquered two or three coatings of lacquer may be
saved ; but by this treatment the durability of the work is
sacrificed. Common raised work is also produced cheaply by a
paste formed of rice-flour ; but as this is not even impervious to
water, objects so decorated are almost useless. In every country
we have the genuine article and its imitations. If decorative
works are to be produced at a cheap rate with the apparent
qualities of superior work, artifices must be employed in their
production which can only be condemned.
The tree (the Rhus verniciferd) from which lacquer is obtained
abounds both in Japan and China, but the lacquer produced in
Japan is better than that grown on the Asiatic continent.
Curiously, the lacquer-tree not only produces lacquer, which flows
from its lactiferous vessels, but also wax, which is extracted from
its seeds. There are male and female in the lacquer-trees, and the female
only produces seeds. Lacquer-trees sometimes grow to the height
of thirty-five or forty feet, but lacquer is obtained when the trees
are from five to eight years old. This being the case it is rare to
see a large lacquer-tree in Japan, save in those instances where it
is kept for seed-growing, and, consequently, wax -producing, in
which case it is allowed to reach a good old age.
The lacquer -tree is generally raised from seed, but some
reproduce it from sections of the root. The raising from seed is
considered the better plan.
If it is raised from the root the reproduction is managed in
this way : — The root of a tree which has been cut down is divided
into pieces, which are set as we set potatoes. In time these
" sets " send out a shoot and give rise to a new plant. As many
of these sets fail to produce a plant, the method of reproducing by
seeds is preferred.
This is one of the few instances known in which a true root
will send out adventitious branches. As a rule no plant has a
power of producing either buds or branches below its " collar " or
" medial line ;" but one or two plants are known to botanists

366 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
which have this strange quality, and of these the lacquer-tree is
one. The quality of the lacquer depends largely on the nature of
the soil in which the tree is grown. If the ground is good the
tree will acquire a circumference of about seven inches in four or
five years.
To obtain the lacquer the outer part of the bark is sliced off
the tree-trunk, and then an incision is made into the stem by a
kind of knife. The juice now oozes out of the puncture, and is
scraped from the stem by a flat iron tool. This operation is very
slow, for a tree is cut only once in the day, and is then not cut
again for four days ; but the same tree is cut many times, and the
first puncture is made near the base of the stem, while each
successive cut is farther from the root.
When the stem has been punctured from its base to its apex
the tree is cut down ; but from the branches of the felled tree
lacquer is also obtained. To this end they are cut into lengths of
about two feet six inches, tied into bundles about eighteen inches
in diameter, and soaked in water for from ten to twenty days.
These are now cut all the way up, when the lacquer oozes out and
is collected by scraping.
The season for obtaining the lacquer begins in summer and
ends in October. The lacquer obtained at the beginning of the
season and at the end is not very good, the best being produced
in the middle period. The first quality is called hen, and the
second uragaki. The third and fourth are of but little value.
In those districts in which wax is gathered from the lacquer-
tree they formerly never extracted the lacquer from the female
plant, for by so doing they were afraid of retarding the growth of
the tree. In recent years they have, however, taken to doing so ;
but they do not cut the trees grown for their wax as much as the
male trees which are reserved exclusively for lacquer, and the
incisions in the stem are only made at distances of six or seven
inches, and not almost close together as in the male trees.
There is a plant called the mountain lacquer-tree which grows
wild, and has flowers and leaves closely resembling those of the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 367
cultivated variety ; but as it produces very little lacquer it is of
little value as a lacquer-tree, though its seeds yield a considerable
quantity of wax. There is also a third plant from which lacquer
is derived, called the vine lacquer, which is a creeper ; but this
yields even less than the mountain lacquer-plant. The cultivated
lacquer is grown chiefly in the eastern part of Japan — in the
provinces of Yechizen, Yamato, Yoshino, Iwashiro, Aizi, Uzen,
Yonezawa, Mogami, Yamagata, Nambo, and Fukuzu. The first
named provinces have produced lacquer from remote times, and
the produce of these provinces is very celebrated ; but the very
best quality is produced in Yoshino.
Lacquer varies in price according to its age and nature, but as
a rule three hundred and fifty me (one hundred and twenty me
make a pound) cost a dollar (about four shillings and two pence)
where it is grown. Eight thousand me make a barrel. The
wood of the lacquer-tree is very hard, and is of fine grain ; it is
used for many purposes, and especially for buoys to mark where
the nets used in the sardine fisheries have been sunk. The small
branches are used for fences and for fuel.

368 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

CHAPTER IV.
THE POTTERY MANUFACTURES.
When I started for Japan I thought my knowledge of Japanese
potteries and pots tolerably perfect ; but when I returned from
that country, after visiting nearly seventy potteries, I came to the
conclusion that even then my knowledge of Japanese ceramics
was most limited.
During my stay in the country the unfortunate rebellion
already mentioned broke out, which prevented my visiting some
of the leading pottery districts ; hence on some of the manufac
tures I can give only hearsay information. Yet I have no doubt
as to the trustworthiness of what I was told, inasmuch as my
informants were well acquainted with the matter of which they
spoke ; but in this chapter I shall be careful to specify the cases
in which I speak from personal observation, and those in which
I am retailing what I have learnt from others.
There is a complication about Japanese potters and potteries
which it is very difficult to unravel, for nice distinctions are in
some cases made which are more than confusing to us. As an
instance of what I mean, it may be noticed that Banko ware was
invented by a man whose name it bears, but that this particular
form of pottery ceased after a time to be made. After the lapse
of some years this ware was re-invented, or revived, by one Mori
Yogozayemon, a man who, though old, still lives ; but it is his
son that now carries on the pottery, and this son I have seen.
His works are at Obuke-mura, in the province of Ise.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 369
Besides the son, many others learned the art of potting in the
Banko method, and these are mostly settled in the town of
Yokkaichi, which may be regarded as the special seat of the
Banko manufactures. In the town of Kuwana, which is situated
at no great distance from Yokkaichi, inferior wares (such as we
should regard as Banko) are also made, and throughout Japan
these are regarded as Banko wares, yet at Kuwana they are
regarded as imitation Banko, while all through the country similar
wares made at Tokio and Kioto find little favour, being considered
spurious and not original works.
Some time ago men who had learned the art of potting in
Yokkaichi removed to the province of Min5, and there founded
a pottery called Onko ; but the ware here made is thicker than
most Banko ware, and is chocolate in colour ; while that of Banko
is generally of a soft, warm gray. Yet some specimens of Banko
ware are of a red-brown hue. Onko ware is classed as altogether
separate from that of Banko. But the Yokkaichi potters now
also make imitation Onko wares, and thus the confusion becomes
great. Another difficulty in the way of our understanding Japanese
wares results from a practice which is common throughout the
country, namely, that of bequeathing to a son, or a favourite
apprentice, the trade-mark of a celebrated ware. A man becomes
famous as a potter, and his mark, or trade name, becomes known
(the name used in trade is very seldom the real name of the
potter). Now it often happens that a celebrated potter has a
son and two or three apprentices. In such cases he will leave
his name and mark to the most skilled among them. It
frequently happens that an apprentice inherits the name of the
famous potter, and even should he move to another place, he will
be considered the maker of the genuine ware, while the son, who
carries on the manufacture at the original works, will be regarded
as the mere imitator of his father's productions. In support of
these statements I could adduce many illustrations, but I need
not do so, as some of the difficulties of understanding the various
questions connected with certain kinds of Japanese pottery will
2 B

370 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
appear as we discuss the wares. I mention them here in order
that the reader may at the outset understand the nature of the
case, and may see how impossible it is for any one who has not
visited Japan to write a history of Japanese pottery which shall
be really trustworthy. Another difficulty occurs when a celebrated
potter removes from one part of the country to another, — a case
which is not uncommon.
In the town of Okazaki I visited a potter who made remark
able wares, and who bore a good name as a manufacturer. But
he formerly carried on his art at Kioto, and he removed to this
place so as not to interfere with his son, to whom he had be
queathed his business. This man, Yeiraku Zengoro, left his
" mark," as well as his business, to his son, and he now trades
under a new name, and since I left Japan I have heard that he
has again returned to Kioto.
Here we have a case in which a celebrated man makes wares
precisely of the same character as those which he formerly pro
duced, and in the same town, yet the " mark " which he now
employs would indicate that his present productions are the works
of a different potter.
In treating of the keramic manufactures it is difficult to know
what sort of classification to pursue, for if we speak of the manu
factures of a district we shall thereby separate similar wares. This
classification would also lead to confusion, as in some cases the
various manufactures bear the name of the town or district in
which they are produced. Yet if we take similar wares we shall
have to travel almost from one end of Japan to the other to collect
our specimens. On the whole, it may be best to arrange certain
kinds of wares together, for we shall thus have the advantage
of contrasting similar specimens which have been produced at
different parts of the country.
While pottery of a rude kind was made at an early period,
it was not until Corean artisans were brought to the country that
any important advance in the manufacture was made. At the
beginning of the sixteenth century a Corean potter named Ameya
came to Kioto, where he made a common black earthenware

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 371
with lead glaze. This is especially valued for use at the •' tea
ceremony " {cha-no-yu) ; and for eleven generations the descend
ants of this man have made the same wares. So esteemed was
the ceremony by Sh6gun Taikosama that he honoured this par
ticular manufacture with a golden seal, on which the character
" raku " (meaning enjoyment) was engraved.
With the view of giving some idea of the esteem in which
the vessels used at the cha-no-yu were formerly held (the cere
mony was most fashionable about four hundred years since), we may
mention the fact that the competition for objects specially valued
(as some of these black raku cups) was such that wars were often
waged between Daimios with the sole view of possessing certain
coveted goods, and with the envious object of despoiling another
of his possessions of this sort. Instances are recorded of Daimios
burning down their houses rather than let the spoiler rob him of
his wares. One noted warrior gave his tea- treasures away, thus
at the same time saving them from destruction and defeating the
purpose of the raid upon him.
But it was between the years 1580 and 1590 A.D. that one,
Gorodayu Shonsui, a native of Ise, who had been to China to
study the porcelain manufactures, returned and settled in the
province of Hizen. Here, with the material found in the country,
he succeeded in making various kinds of porcelain.
About this time certain Corean porcelain makers were also
brought to Hizen, together with certain spoils of war, and they
rendered important aid in the new manufacture.
At about the same date the Prince of Satsuma, who had
invaded Corea, brought home with him a certain number of
porcelain makers, with their families, and placed them near
Kagoshima, the capital of the province, where after many trials
they succeeded in making the now famous Satsuma ware.
With these two important manufactures at the end of the
sixteenth century, the art of potting in Japan may be said to
have fairly begun ; for although rude earthenware has been made
from time immemorial, and tiles for the roof of an imperial
temple were produced about 660 A.D., and although the potter's

372 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
wheel was introduced in the year 724 of our era, and a China
man made stone -ware at Setto in the thirteenth century, yet
no works of importance were produced till towards the year
1700. It may be well to begin our notice of the potter's wares by
considering faience, stone-ware, and the different kinds of earthen
ware which have become well known. The Japanese mind
delights in novelty and humour. For his own amusement the
potter will often make a few pieces of a ware different from those
generally known ; but with the few specimens produced we have
the beginning and the end of the ware.
Banko is the name of a man who lived at Yokkaichi, in the
province of Ise, and who made an unglazed stone-ware of a
purple-brown, and of a light-yellowish colour. He used a clay
of such toughness that he could form small objects, as teapots, of
extreme thinness ; but the great peculiarity of his ware consisted
in his ignoring the use of the wheel and the lathe, and forming
his vessels by pinching the clay into shape between the finger
and the thumb.
With the death of Banko the production of this ware appears
to have ceased, and it was Mori Yogozayemon of Obuke-mura
who re-discovered the art. This man, as we have just said, still
lives, and his son, who has succeeded to his business, works at
Obuke-mura to this day. But it is at Yokkaichi that the best
Banko ware is now made. Here a number of men who learned
the art from Mori Yogozayemon, and from one another, now
pursue this manufacture ; but the same class of ware is also made
at Kuwana, Kioto, Tokio, and other places.
At Yokkaichi the chief potters are Nakayama Magohichi,
Iriyama Kainosuke, Shitomi Shiohei, Yamanaka Chiwzayemon,
Hori Tomonao. All these men are engaged upon the manu
facture of similar wares ; only the productions of some are better
than those of others. But the prince of the potters is Yamanaka
Chiwzayemon, who makes kettles of extraordinary thinness. A
kettle by this man, measuring four and a quarter inches in
diameter, and two and a half inches in depth, made of unglazed

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 373
gray stone -ware, is so thin that it can be seen through, and it
weighs just over two ounces and a half with its lid. It has been
made simply by clay being pressed by the thumb and finger. A
teapot, somewhat smaller, with the usual form of handle, and a
beast nearly an inch in length for a knob on the lid, weighs
but an ounce and three quarters. These are triumphs in Banko
work, and only the one manufacturer can form wares of such
delicacy. The first kettle which I have mentioned has a knob formed
of a double volute of clay, and it is decorated on one side and on
the lid with storks in flight, and on the other side with storks
reposing on a river's bank. Of the storks in flight there are no
less than fifty-seven on this little work, while there are forty-three
at rest ; and each one is painted in enamel white with its feathers
outlined, a black tail, a little brown shading, a touch of red
on the head, and in most cases a line of green on the bill
(pig- 59. page 175).
While the better pieces of Banko ware are all made with
the thumb and finger, the commoner goods are shaped on a
wooden mould ; and, in the case of teapots, nearly all have a
knob so attached to the lid that it will rotate, or a ring pendent
from the handle, which will swing. Many have the handle
perforated as a fine geometrical pattern.
Of Banko wares, it may be remarked that the particular forms
of handle, which are undoubtedly Japanese, are that which arches
the orifice of the vessel, as the handle of our pails, and that
which corresponds with the handle on our saucepan. Although
the looped handle, similar to that on our teapots, is no longer
uncommon, and although I see before me, as I write, five specimens
with this form of handle, there is every reason to believe that
it was derived from European examples brought into the country
by the Dutch. Yet on a Chinese jug, which was, undoubtedly,
made four hundred and fifty years since, I see this form of
handle, and on several ewers preserved at Nara are examples
of a similar character. This form of handle, then, may have been
derived from Continental Asia and not from Europe.

374 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Some specimens of common Banko ware are formed of a red
earth, from which large panels have been cut, and the opening
thus formed replaced by a semi-transparent white clay. In a
teapot of brick colour, and with a " stippled " surface, having the
texture of " morocco leather," are two panels of white earth, the one
having the form of a fan, and the other a cardeoid or blunt heart ;
but this ware is modern.
Another recent form of Banko has a marbled surface
resulting from the combination of imperfectly mixed clays ; but
the effect thus produced is coarse, and the ware has no art
value. Banko wares are often decorated ; but while a few pieces by
the best makers are tenderly painted, the decoration is generally
both crude in colour and coarse in character. This is to be
regretted, as the ware itself is excellent. If accompanied by
good painting it would be much sought after by lovers of beautiful
objects. Modern Banko wares are sometimes glazed, in other cases
entirely covered by an opaque colour (generally a full green or
an unwelcome pink), and in some cases vessels are glazed intern
ally only. The glazed ware, as well as the unglazed, may be
decorated. We not unfrequently see, in our large grocers' shops, little
rough teapots offered for sale for a few pence. These are
imitation Banko wares made at Kioto and Tokio by potting
cottagers, who perform their work in a most simple manner.
Small though these teapots be, they are such as the Japanese
have in common use, for while they frequently drink tea they
indulge themselves with a mere sip at a time. A large vessel or
a large sip are alike vulgar.
Onko is the name of a chocolate-coloured ware of no great
thickness, which is solid and well made. It was invented by a
small group of men who left Yokkaichi and removed to the
province of Mino where they founded a pottery called Onko, from
which the ware derives its name. But this ware is now imitated
in the town from which the men departed.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 375
Another ware of unglazed red earth is shaped on the wheel,
and is made at Tokonabe in Owari or Bishiw. This is called
Tokonabe ware ; but although the things produced are specimens
of careful potting it enjoys no great celebrity.
A kind of stone-ware, valued in Japan on account of its
hardness, and which is sometimes glazed and sometimes unglazed,
is known as Bizen. In appearance it much resembles that
common form of stone -ware of which we make ginger -beer
bottles ; but it is also made of a dark -red colour. In some
cases a decorative effect is produced by a bamboo or some other
spray being incised in the clay. This ware is said to be the
hardest produced in Japan. It is exposed to the action of fire, in
the process of manufacture, from fifteen to thirty days. It is
made in Imbe and other places in the province of Bizen, and its
name is that of the district. Besides jars, bottles, pots, and other
vessels, we often see figures made of Bizen ware ; and some of
these are of considerable age. Bizen ranks amongst the oldest of
existing Japanese potteries.
Another celebrated ware appears to be made with the finger
and thumb like that of Banko, generally in the form of small jars
or cups. It is covered with a gray-brown glaze, and is invariably
decorated with a horse or with horses — this is Soma ware. The
horse is the crest of the Prince of Soma, and is the only instance,
I believe, of a Japanese crest being an animal.
Besides these wares, which are all celebrated, and to which
we should perhaps add the old Kioto wares, there are others
of less importance as Hikone, the old wares of Kenzan, of
Kinkozan, Rokubei, the wares of Tokonabe, Takatori, Sado,
Toyosuke, and others ; but to iterate all the wares of this class
that are known, even tolerably well, in Japan, would be to make
this part of my book a mere catalogue of wares, which in the
absence of coloured illustrations could only be useless. But I
may just mention that Mashimidsu Zoroku of Kioto — a potter
who enjoys considerable notoriety — makes stone ware vases which
have incised lines, filled with white slip, covering their surface.
The grounds of these vary from a pleasant gray to a rich brown,

376 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
and the white is not obtrusive. The whole is glazed and has a
pleasant, though rough, effect. I may also mention that Kiyomidsu
Rokubei, also of Kioto, makes an exceedingly crude ware which
he covers with an opaque white glaze, on which he gets rich
granite-like effects of colour — greens, reds, and black being
mingled together ; that Sawamura Tosa of the same city makes
a crude heavy ware, which is in part covered with a transparent,
treacle -like glaze, and in part with a glaze thick with white
opaque matter, as well as curious rough yellow leaves of the
Buddhist lotus. These latter he often shapes into quaint forms
and decorates with well - modelled crabs. Miyai Sajoro of
Ota-Mura, near Wakayama, also makes a kind of pottery,
which, from its resemblance to the creature, is called sea-slug
ware. Besides these there is a whole series of rough crackle wares
which are all somewhat imperfectly baked. The best of these is
made by Oki Toyosuke of Nagoya, and is generally known as
Toyosuke or Toyoske ware. This is a form of pottery made
of a buff- coloured earth covered with a semi -opaque crackle
glaze which has a white or sea-green cast. Sometimes below
the glaze there is a rude sketch of a figure or a pine branch
in a sort of " Payne's -gray " colour; and from the top of the
object a rich juicy green often flows over the paler glaze. In
this ware the crackles are distinctly marked in a sort of soft
neutral tint.
Another ware of a similar description is made by Inui Chio,
a widow potter of Osaka ; but her wares are characterised by having
a bird, a bat, a crescent moon, or some such device cut into the
surface, or by having raised figures of flowers, dragon, or mountain,
upon them, while nearly all the pieces have flowers drawn upon
them in a sort of inky colour.
The most important ware which we have to notice as a
Japanese faience is that which is now so well known under the
name " Satsuma ware." But whether it should be classed as a
faience is doubtful, for while but to a small extent vitreous in its
body, it appears to have the composition of a porcelain.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 377
As we have already seen, Shimadzu Yoshihisa, Prince of
Satsuma, brought with him when he returned from the conquest
of Corea a number of potters, to whom he assigned the task of
producing a new and acceptable ware from the materials found in
their new home, and the result of their efforts was the production
of the ware which took the name of the province, and which has
acquired well-deserved celebrity.
This pottery was established shortly before the close of the
sixteenth century, and its wares are made of a porcelain clay
which differs from the true porcelain mixture, as it does not
undergo to any considerable extent fusion by firing. Its glaze is
formed chiefly of felspar and woodash, freed from its alkali. It
has neither borax nor lead in its composition, and the body and
the glaze are simultaneously fired at a much higher temperature
than is commonly used for the formation of biscuit ware. When
burnt, Satsuma ware is of pale vellum-like colour, and its surface
presents a fine network of cracks. We have classed it with the
different kinds of faience, but it is in character almost a semi-
porcelain. Old Satsuma ware was generally made in small pieces, such
as bowls, saucers, and teapots, and was decorated with birds and
flowers and conventional ornaments, the latter frequently forming
bands around the objects. The chrysanthemum, the paeony, the
domestic fowl, the pheasant, and the peacock were commonly
used. It is also distinguished by the tenderness of its outline,
the beauty of its reds and greens, and by the solidity of its dull
gold pencilling.
Old Satsuma ware has now become rare in Japan, and during
the whole of my travels in the country I never saw but three
pieces, while six or seven pounds was the price asked for a small
teapot. Large pieces of this ware appear never to have been produced
until comparatively recent times, and it must be remembered that
the Japanese have but little use for large vases in their own
houses. Those huge specimens which are occasionally shown to
us as examples of old Satsuma ware must be regarded as the

378 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
products of some other pottery ; but of such works we shall shortly
have to treat.
I think it well here to reproduce an article by Mr. E. Satow
of the Tokio Legation on " The Corean Potters in Satsuma," as
he visited the district and I did not. He says —
" There appears to be good ground for believing that Korea once enjoyed
a much higher degree of material civilisation than, as we learn from recent
sources of information, it enjoys now, and, when we consider the extent of the
ruin wrought in that peninsula by the Japanese armies in the end of the
sixteenth century, and the general difficulty experienced in countries where the
civilisation is Chinese of recovering from such disasters, we shall not be sur
prised to find the modern Koreans far behind their neighbours in the practice
of the useful arts, though in former ages it was to them that the Japanese
went for instruction. One of the arts brought to Japan from Korea was that
of pottery, and those who have seen specimens ofthe delicate, white, translucent
Korean ware, to which an antiquity of about five centuries is assigned, will
readily admit that the Korean potters possessed in those days a degree of skill
which was worth imitating, and secrets which were worth the sacrifice of much
money and pains to obtain. The Japanese, always ready to learn from others,
have, from a period which may be called prehistoric, at various times invited
Korean artisans to settle in their country, and several schools of pottery are
said to have been founded by these emigrants. As the learned antiquary,
Ninagawa Noritane, tells us in Part V. of his invaluable work on the history
of Japanese faience, the common sort of pottery called raku-yaki was first
made by Koreans whom Hideyoshi caused to be brought to Kiyauto. The
kilns in which it was baked were built in his palace of Jiuraku, whence the
ware took its name. The descendants of others who were settled first at Agano
in Buzefi, and later at Yatsushiro in Higo, after the withdrawal of the Japanese
troops from Korea in 1598, still carry on the production of Agano ware.
Another" Korean was the first maker of Nakanokura ware, near Hagi in the
province of Nagato, and became the founder of a family which still exists
there, and in the province of Satsuma there is a village entirely inhabited
by potters of Korean origin, whose forefathers were transplanted from their
native country about the same time.
" The ancestors of these people were brought over in 1598 by Shimadzu
Koshihiro, the feudal lord of Satsuma, and settled at Kagoshima, the capital
ofthe province, and at three villages, named Kushikino, Ichiku, and Sannogaha,
in the department of Heki. Some of them were afterwards removed to Chiyosa
in Ohosumi, on the Kagoshima Gulf, where they continued to exercise their
art, and their descendants live there to this day. The larger number were
collected together in the end of the year 1603 at Nahashirogaha or Tsuboya,
a village on the high road from Ichiku to Kagoshima, about twelve miles from

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 379
the latter town. They belonged to seventeen families, named Shin, Ri, Boku,
Hen, Kiyau, Tei, Jin, Rin, Haku, Sai, Chin, Ro, Kin, Ga, Tei, Shiya, and Sai,
and their descendants still keep these surnames, which are pronounced as above
according to the Japanese fashion. The personal names in use among them
are usually composed of two Chinese syllables, according to the Korean
practice, but the women bear Japanese names, such as Fude (Pen), Yuki
(Snow), and the like. The whole population of the village numbers about
fifteen hundred. The wares made by the first generation of captives were
chiefly of a coarse kind of dark pottery with a black glaze, and this manufacture
is still carried on at Tsuboya, the principal articles produced being teapots,
pipkins, and large jars for packing the dried tea-leaf. Between the years 1624
and 1644 a skilful workman named Boku Teiyou made the discovery of white
sand at Kaseda, and of white clay at Ibusuki, and from this period dates the
manufacture of the white Satsuma cracked ware (called hibiki-de) so much
esteemed by European connoisseurs. But for a long time the ware appears
to have been ornamented very sparingly with colour, and the oldest specimens
are altogether devoid of it". About the close of the eighteenth century a Korean
named Kin Zenkai, and Kuhabara Jiuzawemon, an inhabitant of Kajiki, made
a journey to Kiyanto, where they learned the art of decorating earthenware with
figures, landscapes, and set patterns in the style of colouring called Nishiki-de.
This is the sort by which the Satsuma ware has acquired its great reputation.
Most of the fine pieces in this style were produced at some potteries established
by the Prince of Satsuma at a place called Tatsuno, whence they were removed
six or seven years ago to Tanoura, a village on the bay about a mile to the
east of Kagoshima. The ware was manufactured regardless of expense for the
prince's own use, or for presents to the Shiyaugun and to his fellow-daimiyau,
to which circumstances is owing the great perfection to which it was brought.
Connoisseurs distinguish it by the richness of the gilding, the delicacy of the
drawing, and subdued harmonious colouring. During the last few years the
painted crackle has been made by private individuals, or by companies trading
with funds advanced by the local administration with a view to profit, and it
would perhaps not be too much to say that nothing worthy of the collector's
attention has been produced since 1868, the year ofthe revolution.
" In February of last year I had an opportunity of visiting the Korean village
of Tsuboya, where I was most hospitably lodged and entertained by one of
the inhabitants, to whose care I had been specially commended by a Japanese
friend. There is nothing distinctive in the appearance of the people or in the
architecture of their houses ; they all speak Japanese as their native tongue,
and wear the Japanese dress ; Tsuboya is in fact just like any other village.
The principal potteries belonging to the Koreans are situated on the side of a
hill to the south of the highroad, together with the kilns belonging to the
Tamano-yama Kuwaishiya, a company recently started by some Kagoshima
Samurahi. The Tsuboya crackle is produced at this establishment and at
another on the opposite side of the road, owned by a Korean named Chin

380 /ARAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Jinkuwan, but most of the villagers devote themselves to the manufacture of
common brown earthenware.
"The principle of the division of labour seems to be thoroughly- well
understood and applied by these workmen. One will confine himself, for
instance, to the bodies of teapots, of which he can produce about a hundred
and fifty in a day, another makes the lids, a third the spouts, a fourth the
" ears " or projecting pieces into which the handle is inserted, while to a fifth
is assigned the joining of these parts together. Generally the members of a
family work in concert, and form a sort of co-operative society, which is joint
owner of a kiln with other such societies. The clay used for the coarse ware
is found at Isakuda and Kannogaha, near Ichiku, and at Terawaki, Kukino,
and Noda, near Ijifu-in, all in the neighbourhood of Tsuboya. Chocolate-
coloured, red, and green glazes are obtained from Tomura, Kafimuri-ga-take,
and Sasa-no-dafi, while Ishiki furnishes the glaze for water-jars and other
large articles of the coarser kind of ware. Three sizes of wheels are in use,
the smallest of which is formed of two wooden disks about three inches thick,
the upper one being fifteen inches, the lower eighteen inches, in diameter,
connected by four perpendicular bars somewhat over seven inches long. It is
poised on the top of a spindle planted in a hole of sufficient depth, which
passes through a hole in the lower disk, and enters a socket in the under side
of the upper disk, and the potter sitting on the edge of the hole turns the
wheel round with his left foot. The largest wheel is about twice the size
every way of the smallest. The kilns are built up the face of a hill in parallel
rows. Each is divided into a number of chambers with openings in the inter
vening partitions to allow of the passage of flame and hot air from the lower
end of the kiln right up to the head, and there are apertures in the side of
every compartment — a larger one for the ware to be passed in and out by,
which is of course closed during the firing, and a smaller one through which
the workmen in charge can watch the progress of the baking. The fuel is
placed in the lowest chamber, which is about six feet square, and consists of
split pine logs about two feet in length and a couple of inches in diameter.
Two hundred and fifty or sixty bundles of wood are required for a single
firing, which usually lasts about thirty-six hours. No stands are used for the
brown earthenware while it is being baked, but the articles are piled on each
other, every second one being upside down ; they consequently adhere together
slightly when brought out of the kiln, but a gentle tap with a piece of wood
is enough to separate them. Between the heavier pieces, such as the large
jars used for packing tea, small bits of dry clay are inserted to keep them
apart. The glaze is put on by immersion ; the article, as for instance a tea
pot, is dipped into the liquid upside down in such a manner that very little
gets inside, and then being quickly reversed, is set on its base, so that the
glaze flows down pretty equally all round. When dry the glaze is of a yellowish-
gray opaque colour, and it is put on before the article is subjected to any
process of firing. The material used for the finer kind of earthenware, that

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 381
is, saishiki-de, or painted ware, and nishiki-de, into the decoration of which
gold enters as well as colours, consists of white clay from three localities,
namely, Mount Kirishima, Ibusuki, and the gold mine at Yamagano ; of white
stone from Kaseda and Kushiki ; and of white sand from Kominato. Ibusuki
supplies in addition a second kind of clay called bara, which is said to be very
brittle, and no doubt is the ingredient which gives somewhat of the character
of porcelain to certain pieces of the ware. The Kaseda stone is used also for
glazing when powdered and mixed with the ashes of nara wood (Quercus glan-
duliferd), or some other sort of hard timber.
" The clay and stone are well pounded, soaked in water, and passed several
times through a fine sieve placed over a receiver. The minute particles which
settle at the bottom are then taken up and dried on boards. To this process
is given the name of midzu-boshi, or water drying, and it is common to all
branches of the manufacture. For the fine white earthenware four kinds of
clay, together with bara and white Kaseda sand, which have been previously
subjected to midzu-boshi, are mixed in certain proportions known to the
experienced workman. Lumps of this stuff are placed upon wooden blocks
and pounded with hammers to the extent of about three thousand blows, by
which it is brought into the state of raw material, but previously to being
actually converted into clay for the potter's use, it requires about three thousand
blows more. It is considered to improve in quality the longer it is kept.
" The kilns in which nishiki-de and saishiki-de are baked are one-celled, and
built of clay upon a foundation of brick, with walls about six Japanese inches
thick.1 Fire is kindled in the mouth of a passage which projects from the
front of the kiln, and the hot air passes up this to the chamber, where it can
circulate freely round the muffle in which the biscuit is deposited. The
largest of these kilns have the following dimensions : —
1 . Externally —
Height (Japanese measure) 5-5 feet.2
Diameter ... . 4'5 ,,
Length of hot air passage . 5-0 ,,
2. Internally —
Height . . -4-5 „
Diameter . . 3-5 ,,
Height of hot air passage . 1-2 „
Width . . . 0-9 „
A space of four inches in width is left between the muffle and the inner wall
of the kiln. For nishiki-de three firings are necessary : firstly, the suyaki,
after which the glaze is put on ; secondly, the honyaki, after which the piece
is painted and gilded ; and thirdly, a slow and gradual firing which develops
1 There are ten Japanese inches to an English foot. — Author.
2 The Japanese foot is the same as our own. — Author,

382 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the colours, the duration being twenty-four, forty-eight, and ten hours respect
ively. During the last firing the temperature is observed from time to time
through an aperture near the top, the test employed being a piece of pottery
•marked with various pigments, which gradually assume the desired tints as
the heat increases.
" A memorandum drawn up by an official of the Kagoshima prefecture, for
presentation to the commission which presided over the Industrial Exhibition,
held last autumn in Yedo, gives the composition of the pigments used for
producing the various colours of the fine Satsuma wares. Dr. Edward Divers,
Professor of Chemistry at the Imperial College of Engineering, has kindly
examined specimens of these materials procured in Yedo, and has furnished
me with their English names. The mixtures for the various colours are as
follows : —
" Red. — Ground white glass, soft or lead variety (shiratama no ko), white
lead {tau no tsuchi), colcothar or red oxide of iron {beni-gara 1), and a silicious
earth called Hino-woka tsuchi.
" Green. — Ground white glass, white lead, copper oxychloride {roku-
shiyau), and silicious earth.
" Yellow. — Ground white glass, red lead (kuwaumeitan), silicious earth,
and metallic antimony (taushirome).
" White. — Ground white glass, silicious earth, and white lead.
" Blue. — Ground glass and smalt (a ground blue glass, the colour of which
is due to a cobalt compound ; the Japanese name is hana-kongiyau.
" Purple. — Ground white glass, white lead, and manganese.
" Black. — Ground white glass, white lead, an earthy manganese ore con
taining a little cobalt (wensei), and a very silicious carbonate of copper, appar
ently ground and elutriated malachite {shihonuki rokushiyau).
"At the pottery belonging to Chin Jinkuwan I saw groups being modelled
in the white clay, which, after baking and glazing, assumes a light cream
colour, and becomes what is known as Satsuma crackle. These articles were
intended to be decorated later on with gilding and colours. The potters here
possessed only two old pieces of plain ware, a teuji-buro, and a figure of a
child playing with a diminutive puppy. The teuji-buro is an utensil formed of
two pieces — namely, a brasier and a boiler on the top of it, and is intended for
distilling oil of cloves, though in practice it is used merely as an ornament.
Two artists were employed in modelling figures of Kuwanon (pr. Kannon) and
Dharma in white clay, with the conventional face and robes given to Buddhist
personages, and toes all of the same length. A third was engaged upon a
tiger sitting up in a cat-like posture, intended to be two and a half Japanese
feet in height when finished. Most of their figures are modelled from drawings
in Indian ink, but the coloured designs are laid on from memory.

1 Dr. Divers informs me that Beni-gara is a corruption of Bengal, whence this sub
stance was formerly obtained.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 383
" Until fourteen years ago a ware called betsu-kafu (pr. bekk6) yaki was
made at this village, the colours of which were intended to imitate tortoise-shell.
It was a common ware, and used to be exported to Nagasaki in large quantities.
A piece of this, said to be old, which was exhibited to me, had green blotches,
as well as the two usual colours, yellow and brown. At the Tamanoyama
company's establishment all sorts of ware are produced — common brown
pottery, inferior blue and white, and highly gaudy crackle. Here I found a
workman engaged in modelling a statuette of Christ after a sentimental wood
cut in a religious periodical called the Christian Observer. He had copied the
face and beard with considerable accuracy, but had draped the body and limbs
in the robes of a Buddhist priest. Some stones of brown earthenware, imitated
from American iron stones, were ready for the kiln ; their price was to be
seven dollars, delivered in Yedo. I saw also some huge white vases of
monstrous shape composed of hexagons, circles, squares piled up, as it were,
pell-mell, the result of an attempt at originality, unhampered by traditional
notions of form.
" The account given of themselves by the Kaurai jin (as they are called)
is, that all the inhabitants of the village, peasants as well as potters, are
descended from Koreans brought over during the period Keichiyan (1 596-161 5)
by a Satsuma Samurahi named Ijifu-Ifi. Until about three years ago they
wore their hair tied up in a knot at the top of the head ; but most of them now
wear the Japanese queue, or cut their hair in the style which has been
introduced from abroad. They informed me that in former days they dressed
themselves in their own costume on special occasions, as, for instance, when
they went forth to salute the Prince of Satsuma as he passed through their
village on his way up to Yedo. One of the potters was good enough to put
on this dress in order to give me an idea of its appearance. He began by
drawing on a pair of wide trousers of dark blue silk of a very delicate material,
differing from the ordinary Japanese hakama in having no division between
the legs, but tied on in the same way — that is, the front part was tied on by
strings which passed round the waist, and then the back piece was fastened by
strings in a double bow-knot in front. Next he threw over his shoulders a
wide-sleeved mantle or haori of like colour and texture, the sleeves of which
were not sewn up in pockets as those of the clothes worn by adult Japanese
usually are, and fastened it with strings on the right side of the waist. Finally,
he crowned himself with a long conical black cap edged with white. He also
produced a broad brimmed black hat, apparently woven of the stem of a kind
of creeper. The knowledge of the Korean language is still kept up by some
among them, whose duty it is to interpret between castaway Korean junkmen
and the Japanese officials. Before the destruction of the monasteries the
inhabitants of the village belonged to the Buddhist sect, Tendaishiu, which
was no doubt that of their ancestors in their native country. At present they
are under the protection of a Japanese deity, whose shrine, called Giyoku-san-
Guu, stands on a hill south-west of the village. In front of the shrine stand

384 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
a couple of lanterns of white ware with a blue design, presented by the potters
belonging to sixteen out of the seventeen families, as may be seen by the names
inscribed on the pedestals. The tombs in the cemetery, which lies at the side
of the path to this temple, do not differ in any marked manner from Japanese
tombs, which is what we should expect to find, as the style of sepulchral
monuments in Japan is essentially Indian-Buddhist, and most likely derived
through Korea. It appears that these people marry freely among themselves,
identity of surname not being considered an obstacle as it is in China, but
seldom intermarry with Japanese except they be members of the Samurahi
class. I gathered, in fact, from the conversation of the villagers, that they
considered themselves much superior to the aboriginal natives of the country
to which their ancestors had been transplanted." 1
There is a curious ware called sameyaki, which was formerly
made in Satsuma, and is little known in England. Its ground is
of buff or brown earth, while the glaze has shrunk into convoluted
or ruminated heaps, so that between them the ground is " dead."
This is a peculiar ware, and seems to result from a remarkable
contraction of the glaze in the process of firing, and from an
antipathy of nature between the body of the vessel and the glaze.
The aspect of the glaze is much like that of water that has fallen
on fine dust and arranged itself into globular or irregular raised
masses. Most commonly this ruminated glaze is of a dull white
colour, but in some cases the more raised parts have a bright black
aspect. The popularity which Satsuma ware attained led to the
establishment, in a suburb of Kioto called Awata, of certain
potteries in which it was to be imitated. Here, with the same
clay, a class of ware was produced which bears a close resemblance
to that copied, only the imitation is of a slightly deeper and
somewhat more yellow hue. This ware — which is named after
the district in which it is made — was originally decorated in a
manner widely different from that of Satsuma, as it had but a few
colours, and those neutral, and its sketches were drawn in thin,
light lines. But recently it has been figured with patterns some
what closely resembling those of Satsuma ware. As a rule, how-
1 In this article many words are spelt in an unusual manner : thus we have Korea
for Corea, Kiyauto for Kioto, Buzeii for Bizen, etc.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 385
ever, the work on the imitation is smaller than that on the wares
made under the famous prince of the South.
Awata wares are now made of all kinds and qualities. Some
are utterly common, and are only suited to the ignorant caprices
of a European public, while others are both tenderly wrought and
daintily decorated.
I have said that the ornamentation of Awata wares is generally
on a smaller scale than those of Satsuma ; yet this is not always
the case, for I have before me a pot decorated with a quince
blossom which is bolder than anything I have seen on works from
the South ; but this is an exception to the rule. Then, again,
although the colours with which Awata pottery is decorated are
generally rather strong, yet some pieces are made with the softest
of hues ; and while Awata ware has generally the leaves and the
flowers with which it is decorated outlined, yet some pieces have
drawings upon them of a masterly character which are touched
in with spirit and have none of this laboured work.
In the district of Awata there are many potters, some of whom
make the particular ware of which we speak, while others do not.
But there are scores of men who manufacture Awata ware in some
form or other, although the makers of that of superior quality are
few. There are also men living outside this suburb who make
Awata ware ; for the name has now become applied to a particular
production, which simply bears the name of the locality in which
it was first produced.
The names of the three chief Awata potters are Kinun Ken,
who makes excellent but most expensive wares ; Kinkozan Sobei,
who is the largest maker of this ware ; and Tanzan Seikai, who is
also a man of considerable importance in the district. But both
in the district of Awata and beyond it there are other men in a
somewhat large way of business who make this well-known
imitation of Satsuma ware.
Here in England we commonly meet with persons who speak
of their Satsuma specimens as though this ware were common ;
but in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred these turn out to
be examples of Awata ware. Even the Satsuma ware now being
2 c

386 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
produced is about ten times as costly as Awata ware, and yet it
is only a keen eye that can distinguish between the two. Little
Satsuma ware, either old or modern, reaches England.
After Awata, the island of Awaji began to produce imitation
Satsuma wares ; and although these attempts belong to a later
date than those of Awata, this island has yet given us finer works
of the Satsuma type than any which have come to us from Kioto.
Awaji is an island at the northern entrance of the inland sea,
lying out in front of Hiogo. Its chief town is Sumoto, but its
potteries are in the village of Igano.
These potteries are two in number. The one was founded
about fifty years since by Mimpe" Kishiu, whose desire was to
imitate the Dutch delft. This pottery is now owned by the son
of Mimpd, but his trade name is Rikita. The other pottery now
in Igano is large and is owned by Sanp6, a nephew of old Mimpe.
It is only Sanpe who makes the imitation Satsuma ware, and
his wares bear patterns which are simple in character, precise in
their drawing, and full and rich in their colouring ; but the
quantity of this ware produced is altogether insignificant, and he
is happy who possesses a specimen.
Upon asking how long it would take to produce a tea service
of this description, good Mr. Sanpd, after much consideration,
thought that he might get it done in two years ; and, with the
exception of a few pieces made for a special order, I don't know
of the existence of a dozen specimens in England.
Awata and Awaji produce work which, while bearing a close
resemblance to real Satsuma wares, can scarcely be said to be
deceptive imitations of the more valuable productions of the South.
But this cannot be said of some of the works fabricated at Shiba,
in Tokio, and at Ota, near Kanagawa. Here two factories,
possessed of the means of producing excellent works, have been
established for simulating old works and producing deceptive
copies of the most valuable pieces of Satsuma ware.
So far has this unworthy manufacture been carried that when
the work is finished it is even dipped in a dirty mixture to impart
to it the appearance of age. But there is one peculiarity which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 387
characterises most of the productions of both Shiba and Ota :
they are decorated with figures of Buddhist saints, whose heads
are surrounded each by a nimbus ; but I cannot learn that this
mode of decoration was ever used in Satsuma ; and it is certain
that if pieces of this character were ever made it was most seldom.
Yet both Shiba and Ota make other works which, although
in some respects like the productions of the South, are altogether
distinctive in their character, and have qualities which characterise
the potteries in which they are made.
No works have ever been produced in any part of the world
more lovely than some of those cups, kettles, and small vases
fabricated during the last few years at Shiba. The delicate colour
of the clay (which is vellum-like), the soft tints of the ornament,
the exquisite diapers with which the objects are covered, the pre
cision of the work, and the relation of figured surface to plain,
make these fit objects for any boudoir in the land.
At Ota is produced the celebrated Makudzu ware, which, in
its way, has never been surpassed. Indeed, some pieces of
Makudzu ware are so wonderful that they appear to be tours de
force rather than works produced for the ordinary purposes of trade.
We first became acquainted with Ota pottery at the Phila
delphia Exhibition, where two indented spill vases, with lotus
flowers in the indentations, attracted much attention. The esteem
in which these were evidently held by those who saw them in
America led the Makudzu 1 potter to experiment for new effects ;
but in most of his trials he used modelled flowers upon his vases.
When I visited the pottery at Ota he was busily engaged upon
some fine works of this character, as well as with the formation of
large old (!) pots with which to delude the American and Euro
pean buyer. But it was at the last Paris Exhibition that we saw
this great potter in his strength ; and he certainly showed himself
as one of the giant ceramic workers of the world.
There are other places at which wares resembling those of
Satsuma have been made, but Awata, Shiba, and Ota are the
three places which furnish large quantities. Odd pieces made by
1 This is not the real name of the potter.

388 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
other potters are sometimes better imitations of the original work
than most of those made in the three districts named.
A notable example of this kind occurs in a vase made by
Kawamoto Masukichi of Seto, which has the style of the old
Satsuma ware in a marked degree, and which, although slightly
grayer in colour, would be not easily distinguished from an
original specimen.
There is also a beautiful ware of soft yellow colour, but slightly
deeper in tint than even that of Awata, made at the town of
Matsuye in Unshiu, and known as Unshiu ware ; but this, until
recently, was seen chiefly as tall teapots, spreading at the top, with
a beautiful rich green running down one side, and on the other a
tender spray of a gourd sketched in Payne's gray under the glaze,
and with an arched handle formed from a stem of the Westeria
creeper. Just recently this ware has, however, come into our
markets in the form of cups, vases, and other things ; and crude
enamel painting has replaced the neutral decoration.
The early specimens of this ware were very pleasant and
attractive, but those recently imported are altogether without art
interest. But as these wares might possibly be mistaken for those
of Awata by persons having little opportunity of study, and as
Unyei, the owner of the Matsuye pottery, appears also to make a
small quantity of imitation Satsuma ware, it has been thought
well to mention his productions.
We sometimes see, even here in England, cup-like bowls, of
a rather deep buff colour, with a crackled surface, and decorated
with groups of small figures in somewhat strong colours. These
were first made by a man named Shiuhei who worked in Kioto,
where he but recently died. Some cups made by Ninsei — a
man whose real name was Nomura Seibei, and who lived in the
early part of the seventeenth century at Kioto — have also a
resemblance to some specimens of Satsuma ware. Yet the works
of this well-known potter can generally be at once recognised by
the grayness of the earth, the prevalence of a gray -blue (of
medium depth) in the decoration, and the fact that the designs
employed on his wares almost invariably consist of the emblems

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 389
of long life — the stork, the fir, the tortoise, and the bamboo,
while the works of the more recent potter are instances of Shiuhei
ware, and are readily distinguishable from those of Satsuma, as
the pattern consists of figures.
Kishiu ware, which has become celebrated in Japan, owes its
origin to the ambition of a prince of Kishiu, at the beginning of
the present century, to rival the fine turquoise blue of China.
With this object he erected a kiln in the garden of his palace,
near Wakayama, and summoned to his aid a skilled potter, from
Kioto, of the name of Yeiraku Zengoro, who ultimately succeeded
in making a ware of intense cobalt blue colour. This potter also
made a rich purple ware, as well as pieces in which the two
colours are mingled.
For a time this manufacture appears to have been abandoned,
but some thirty years ago it was revived by one Miyai Sajoro,
who lived in the village of Ota-mura, near Wakayama ; but the
wares that this man produced were generally bluer (had less of
the turquoise hue) than the Kishiu ware now produced ; and on
most pieces made by this man we see a spray of a plant, or bits
of irregular diaper patterns, painted, in neutral tint, beneath the
glaze. Nearly twenty-five years since Miyai Sajoro gave up manu
facturing, and went to assist a widowed daughter to keep a shop
in Wakayama ; but about seven years since he returned to his
native village, and resumed his old occupation. His wares are
characterised by a preponderance of rich purple, and by a con
siderable mingling of the purple with blue ; and he seems to
have abandoned his early habit of placing sketches, in neutral
tint, beneath the glaze.
Most of the Kishiu ware which we see in the English market
is made near Hiogo by Horinouchi Sozaburo, and more recently
by men who have learned the art from him. The man here at
Kobe tells me that it was he who rediscovered how to make
Kishiu ware, and that Miyai Sajoro copied the art from him ;
but this, I think, cannot have been the case, as the latter practised
his art at Ota-mura many years since, and he is much older than

390 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the Hiogo potter. As to the merits of the two wares there can
be no difference of opinion ; for that made by Horinouchi Soza-
bur5 is undoubtedly the better. Much cheap and inferior work
is now made for the European and American markets by those
who have but recently acquired the secret of the manufacture.
Another class of ware of considerable importance is called
Kutani or Kaga ware ; but whether I am right in classifying it
with works in faience is doubtful, for while some specimens have *
bodies which look like earthenware, it is in reality a crude opaque
porcelain. This manufacture was formerly carried on in the town of
Kutani, in the province of Kaga, but it is now made chiefly in the
village of Yamashiro.
Kutani wares are of two kinds — the one being decorated with
flowers, figures, or landscapes, with these decorations drawn either
wholly in red or in red, black, silver, and gold. The drawing is
also frequently rendered, to a considerable extent, by dots. In
England this is generally known as Kaga ware, whereas that
we are just about to describe is generally called Kutani ware.
Made chiefly in the form of large bowls and saucer-like
platters, this ware is bold in its treatment, and is decorated with
flowers, birds, diaper patterns, landscapes, and, not unfrequently,
with bold sprays of the bottle gourd. The colours used in it are
chiefly the Kaga red, a full green, ultramarine blue, and black,
with the addition sometimes of a pleasant Antwerp blue, a
primrose yellow, a crimson pink, Vandyke brown, and a sort of
purple-madder shade. In some cases gold is added.
In this ware it not unfrequently happens that part of the
object is covered with diaper patterns on various coloured grounds;
while birds or boldly treated flowers rest on these diapers. In
another part will be arranged a panel, in which a landscape is
painted. In most specimens of this ware the glaze will be found
crackled to some extent. While Kutani ware is most commonly
decorated in the manner described, many specimens have figures
upon them. Being made in the province of Kaga, the two wares
should perhaps be regarded as one ; that which we distinguish

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 391
in England as Kaga ware has usually fine work upon it, and is
in red alone, in red and gold, in red, gold, and black, or in red,
silver, and black, as we have just said ; that which we know as
Kutani ware is treated in a bolder manner, and usually has other
colours than red in its decorations.
We meet with the same difficulties here as in other cases ;
and I have now before me four pieces of ware which would be
calculated to mislead the student. One is a little cup painted by
an artist in Nagoya on Kutani earth ; one is a little hibachi or
fire-pot made in Owari ; another is a bottle painted in the Kaga
style, on a pure porcelain, at Tazimi in Mino ; and the fourth is an
old Banko tea-jar decorated in the Kutani spirit. From a cursory
glance it would be difficult to say where these specimens were
produced ; but by the trained eye the Mino porcelain and the
Banko earth would readily be detected. The Owari flower- pot
would not, however, be so easily referred to the locality in which
it was made, for it is a very close imitation of Kutani ware ; and
the Nagoya painted cup, being decorated in the manner of Kaga
ware, and being on Kutani earth, would defy detection. It was
only through the accident of my getting it from the painter that
I knew where it was produced. Old Kutani wares were always
marked with the name " Kutani " and never with the name of the
maker. When speaking of wares that resemble the productions of
Satsuma we mentioned that made by Sanpe of Awaji, but we did
not mention the other wares which both he and Rikita — the two
potters of Igano — make.
These potters concern themselves chiefly with the formation
of small bowls, trays, caddy-spoons, and cups, which have an ex
cellent finish. They are usually plain yellow, rich brick -orange,
full green, or warm purple, in colour. But the three former
colours especially characterise the Awaji wares. In some cases
the little dishes and saucers which these men make have a dragon
stamped into the earth, so that the glaze, by sinking into the
depressions, shows as a deeper colour. Other specimens are in part
perforated ; but most of them are perfectly plain.

392 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Having enumerated the chief forms of faience, and the semi-
porcelains and crude forms of " china," we come to the considera
tion of the porcelain manufactures which are now spread widely
over the country. But although I visited nearly seventy potteries
(sixty-eight), the rebellion that broke out in Japan during the
time of my visit prevented my seeing more than three of the
great centres of this interesting manufacture.
As we have already seen, the art of porcelain making was
introduced from China at the close of the sixteenth century.
Japanese who settled in Hizen (where much porcelain is manu
factured to this day) brought the art to the country.
As this is the oldest seat of the manufacture, we may begin
our notice of the different porcelains by speaking of those in this
district. Made chiefly in Arita, these wares are called by the
name Imari or Hizen. It is this ware which became known to
Europe at an early time through the Dutch who occupied the
island of Decima, near Nagasaki, from which Arita is only about
forty -five miles distant : and it was this ware which became so
much copied on the continent of Europe and in England. Some
of the earlier works of Worcester are almost exact reproductions
of Imari designs. As we shall have to speak of the methods of
manufacture shortly, we need only point out at present the special
features of the ware.
That which is most characteristic has a rich, deep blue, under
glaze colour, produced from oxide of cobalt. On this are flowers
and gold tracery ; panels, bearing geometrical designs ; diaper
patterns, or drawing of foliage, landscape, or figures, — the whole
being illuminated by the use of from four to six colours (often
five) in which a red, similar to that of Kaga, green, and yellow
prevail. Other specimens exist which are decorated entirely
with shades of light blue ; while some pieces have the centre
treated in this manner, and colours on the border. A few
pieces have their decorations formed of light blues, red, and
gold only.
This ware has been so much copied in Europe that I cannot
divest myself of the feeling that it lacks an Eastern aspect. But

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 393
this feeling arises from the fact that patterns which characterise
Arita wares have been familiar to me from childhood, and I
must confess that, viewed from an art point of view, it is to me
the least satisfactory of all Japanese wares. The Imari potters
work on a good body. They employ good colours, yet they
often get a crude and garish effect. There are collectors in
England who have a perfect craze for Imari ware ; but when
we consider the prices that have been given fbr pieces of old
Derby, Bristol, and Worcester pottery, with little or no art merit,
we do not wonder at persons being found who delight in sur
rounding themselves with numerous specimens from the potteries
of Hizen. It is but too true that there are people who pride
themselves on the number of their specimens, and prefer mere
quantity to beautiful works.
There is one other important ware made in Arita which
I have not yet mentioned — the Seidji or Celadon ware. This
has a pale sea-green hue ; but as this particular ware is now
made in many parts of the country, and especially in Seto, it can
scarcely be regarded as altogether characteristic of Hizen.
Like all other wares which have become famous, that of
Hizen has been copied ; and some of the patterns produced
in Kioto, where, at the present time, Kanzan Denhichi is chiefly
engaged upon such works, are similar, both in colour and form,
to those of Arita. Care is needed to avoid mistaking one for
the other. At Hirato, also, an island near the Hizen coast, small
articles closely resembling the delicately painted blue-and-white
wares of Imari are made.
We might now just mention a ware of some interest which
was made in Kioto and bears the name of its inventor Eraku, as
it is amongst the celebrated productions of the district. It is a
pure porcelain, with a rich red surface formed of an oxide of iron,
on which gold devices (generally of a mythological character) are
drawn. Turning to the better-known Kioto wares, we may notice that
in Kioto much porcelain is manufactured, especially in the suburb
called Kiyomidsu, not far from Awata, and here some objects of

394 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
great beauty and of singularly high finish are produced. The
wares are of white porcelain tenderly decorated.
No potters in Japan seem to paint on porcelain with more
tenderness than the Kioto artists. In some of their works there
is a beauty of drawing and delicacy of execution which is most
estimable ; and some little cups which I purchased in the district
are lovely specimens of work.
In Kiyomidsu, or the immediate neighbourhood, I visited
seventeen potteries, amongst which were the most important
in the district. The owners of these manufactories are Kiyomidsu
Rokubei, Takahashi Dohachi, Kanzan Denhichi, and Seifoo
Gochio-me ; but the two greatest are Kanzan Denhichi and
Takahashi Dohachi.
A man called Kiokutei Seihichi makes eccentric though
interesting wares.
But besides the manufacture in this district of Kiyomidsu
ware, much pottery is produced from earths of various kinds, and
no one district boasts more diversified talent than this suburb of
Kioto. Were all the objects made in this suburb collected together
one would suppose that they were the products of many towns.
In a district lying north of Hiogo called Sanda we find a
series of little potteries, in which a Celadon ware is made, and
which I, so far as I could learn, was the first European to visit.
Celadon wares are made in most of the great pottery districts
of Japan, as I have just said, but in Sanda it is the chief manu
facture. It is made in Hizen, Owari, and Kioto, but here it is
produced only in small quantities, and is in no way the staple
industry of the district.
The Sanda potteries (Sanda is the name of a district) are
situated both in and near the town of Shidewara, and are five in
number. Their owners are Konishi Tobai, Konishi Gohe, Kameii
Sadajiro, Uchida Hisakichi, and Konishi Tsunekichi. Of these
Konishi Tsunekichi is father of Konishi Tobai, while Konishi
Tsunekichi and Konishi Gohe" are brothers. The Celadon wares
made in this district are of an inferior class, and many pieces have
pierced arabesque sides.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 395
We may mention, in passing, the fact that besides the Celadon
of this district rude wares of several kinds are here made.
Amongst these are some of the roughest specimens of blue-and-
white that could well be seen, as well as crude bowls bearing
ornament in greens, reds, and . other colours ; but none are of
interest save those for which the district is celebrated.
The next great seats of the porcelain manufacture are Owari
and Mino, where most of the blue-and-white wares of Japan are
made, and both districts produce wares similar both in character
and merit.
Seto, a small town in Owari, twelve and a half miles distant
from Nagoya, is wholly given up to the porcelain industry. In
it are a number of potters, who all make blue-and-white wares.
Some, however, make varieties of porcelain by no means charac
teristic of the district. The chief potters are Kat5 Mokuzayemon,
a man who is said to be assisted with Government money ;
Kawamoto Masukichi, a prosperous man who has just built
himself a beautiful house ; Kawamoto Hansuke, Kat5 Shige-
shiro, and Katd Gosuke, and each of these makes wares of great
excellence. The Mino potteries are situated in the villages of Tazimi and
Ichi-no-kura, about thirty to thirty-five miles distant from Nagoya ;
but the better class of Mino wares are made in the latter village.
In Ichi-no-kura there are many potters, but the more important
are Kat5 Shinbei, who is said to be the largest in the village ;
Kat5 Jiwsuke, Kato Kohei, Kato Gosuke (a namesake of the Seto
potter), and Kato Kichibei.
Some of these men make wares the drawings on which are
characterised by much delicacy. Deep cups have blue pencil-
work upon them which is both minute and tender. On one I
see grass, equisetums, dandelions, and the coranella, drawn with
great fidelity to nature, and with almost microscopic minuteness ;
while on many of the sachi cups we have little diaper patterns,
both varied and interesting.
As an example of the latter I may mention a specimen by
Kato Gosuke, which is decorated both internally and externally

396 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
with little diaper patterns. The inside is divided into eight
parts by lines radiating from the centre, and no two sections are
filled with the same pattern. The exterior is divided in the same
manner into sixteen parts, and no two of these contain the same
diapers. Thus one section is filled with a simple arrangement
of blue-and-white squares in the manner of a chess-board, another
with a scale pattern, another with circles arranged in parallel
lines, another with overlapping circles which intersect each other ;
one contains a key pattern, one is enriched with a mere checker,
one with a pattern founded on the hexagon, and another on
diagonal lines. Others contain diapers based on the square, and,
to heighten the pleasant effect produced, every second division is
darker in colour than the intervening one.
While blue-and-white wares, if well manufactured, always look
fresh and pleasant, I am not sorry that the rage for them is
passing away. Excessive repetition of anything, be it ever so
good, produces monotony. In order to make blue and white look
well in our rooms the decoration must be of a certain character ;
and no fashion can be satisfactory which compels us all to treat
our houses in a similar manner.
An Englishman's house is his castle ; hence it ought to express
by its decoration the mind, tastes, and knowledge of the owner.
Were this the case there would be an interest in visiting each
other's houses which is now lacking.
In wishing for the dethronement of blue-and-white I wish no
harm to those good potters by whom I was so kindly received
in both Seto and Mino. I am sure that they could make coloured
wares novel in character and excellent in workmanship. At this
present moment there are many men, both in Ichi-no-kura and
Seto who devote themselves to the production of things quaint in
character and novel in effect. Let them depart still farther from
the beaten track !
If the potters of Owari are in any way suffering from the
change in our taste respecting blue-and-white I should advise
them to seek to produce novelties with soft effects of colour.
Their present blue might be, to an extent, maintained, for the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 397
love for Japanese porcelain is as great as ever it was, and the desire
for novelties greater.
My visit to these seats of manufacture enables me to illustrate
some of the difficulties which any one attempting to write an exact
history of the Japanese ceramic arts must encounter. Thus in
Ichi-no-kura I find one Kato Genjiw making wares resembling
those of Banko, and even following the Banko shapes. Then, as
to names, there is here a potter called Kat5 Kichibei who is
known only under the cognomen of Hechibei, which means funny
fellow. The fact that he makes curious wares and grotesque
objects, together with the similarity between his name and the
Japanese word hechibei, has caused him to be thus designated.
In the case of Kawamoto Masukichi of Seto there is a diffi
culty, for his wares are sometimes called by the name Hansuke,
which was the name of his father, a celebrated potter. Yet this
man has a brother, whom I also visited, who is now the Hansuke.
The confusion is obvious.
The fact that the sons do not of necessity take the name of
the parent, that the trade name is frequently a mere cognomen
assumed by the manufacturer, and that this business appellation
may be bequeathed to an apprentice or a son at the option of the
parent, renders it most difficult to understand the actual state of.
things in a manufacturing district, and without great care confusion
is inevitable. In England we should naturally conclude that a
youth who succeeded to the business, who was called by the name
of the manufacturer, and who used the seal or stamp by which the
ware is known, was the son. But in Japan it very often happens
that this is not the case. Another element of confusion is intro
duced by the chief name (that which answers to our surname)
coming first ; thus, where they would write Katd Kichibei we
should write Kichibei Kat5, and where they would write Kato San
we should write Mr. Kato.
In going through the porcelain districts of Seto and Mino I
found that some of the potters decorated their own wares, while
others sent them to professional artists to receive patterns. Thus
in the village of Tazimi I purchased a small sachi bottle, decorated

398 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
in the style of Kaga ware, which had been painted by an artist
in the village ; and in Ichi-no-kura I found several men in business
for themselves who undertook the painting of any wares entrusted
to them. In Ichi-no-kura one of the chief men thus engaged is
Kat5 Hichibei, a namesake of the '-' funny fellow."
I also found that much of the better wares from both Seto
and Mino were sent to Nagoya to be decorated, where the two
chief artists who undertake this work are Yokoi SSsuke and Suye-
moto Suzukichi, the former being eminent as a painter of gold
work on an iron -black ground. But in the Seto district where
the manufacture itself is carried on I did not notice the same
number of men employed as professional artists as I did in the
Mino towns.
If the artists who live in the pottery districts, and decorate
wares, have but little work on hand, they make purchases of
" shapes," which they decorate and sell. Thus, while the two
artists whom I have named in Nagoya undertake work for the
chief potters, they also decorate wares which they have purchased,
and these they offer in the market with their own names affixed.
Objects decorated in Tokio are common in the English market ;
but there is no place in Tokio that I am aware of, save the Shiba
pottery, where any good wares are made ; and most of that which
here receives pattern has been purchased in either Seto or Mino
in an undecorated state.
In Tokio I have never seen any pottery decorated in more
than a very second-rate manner by the professional porcelain
painters. The Shiba pottery turns out some exquisite things,
and so does that of Ota, near Yokohama, but here works are
both made and decorated. Those who are engaged as mere
painters in Tokio have never, so far as I could learn, produced
work of a high character.
The Shiba pottery, and that of Ota, have turned out some
grand vases, platters, incense -burners, and other things ; and to
these potteries we are indebted for most of those specimens figured
with saints which have been attributed to Kioto workmen. I also
think that all those examples with black grounds which have been

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 399
referred by even our best collectors to the Satsuma district, were
produced within the last few years at these places.
If a potter finds that any one class of ware has a high market
value, and he is desirous of deceiving, there is no difficulty in his
getting the clay from Kagoshima, or in his making a similar
"body;" and it is certain that a large number of even the fine
works which we in England attribute to the South have been
made in Shiba and Ota.
That Kioto has long been engaged in the manufacture of
both porcelain and faience is certain ; but the things produced,
until a comparatively recent period, were insignificant as ceramic
works. For many days I devoted my attention, almost wholly,
to the Kioto potteries and their history ; and both in Kioto,
Osaka, and other towns, I sought specimens of the old Kioto
wares. I always found that they were rather curious and quaint
than fine examples of work. In Tokio I consulted the various
leading authorities connected with the Imperial Museum upon
the early ceramic productions of Kioto, but I never saw a highly
decorated vase that was not small, nor one example decor
ated with nimbused saints which was attributed to the district ;
while I not only saw scores attributed to the two Northern
potteries, but I saw such at the works themselves in process of
manufacture. That important works in faience or porcelain were not pro
duced in Kioto, even at the end of the sixteenth century, seems
clear ; and Kaempfer's remarks on Miaco (Miaco is the old name
for Kioto), made in the year A.D. 1 690, would bear out my state
ment : —
" Miaco is the great magazine of all Japanese manufactures and com
modities, and the chief mercantile town in the empire. There is scarce a
house in this large capital where there is not something made or sold. Here
they refine copper, coin money, print books, weave the richest stuffs with gold
and silver flowers. The best and scarcest dyes, the most artful carvings, all
sorts of musical instruments, pictures, japan'd cabinets, all sorts of things
wrought in gold and other metals, particularly in steel, as the best temper'd
blades and other arms are made here in the utmost perfection, as are also the
richest dresses, and after the best fashion, all sorts of toys, puppets, moving

4oo JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
their heads of themselves, and numberless other things, too many to be here
mention'd. In short, there is nothing can be thought of but what may be
found at Miaco, and nothing, tho' ever so neatly wrought, can be imported
from abroad but what some artist or other in this capital will undertake to
imitate.1' Although Kaempfer says, " there is nothing can be thought of
but what may be found at Miako," the very fact that he does not
mention the ceramic manufactures, when enumerating the industries
of the city, would at least lead to the conclusion that they were
not of special importance in his time ; and all my investigations
while in Japan led me to conclude that no important works
resembling the Satsuma wares were made in the old capital up
to a recent date.
Besides the regular porcelain artists of Tokio there are a
number of men who paint sachi cups (which are made in Seto
and Hizen), and who sell these at little stalls. Such men generally
paint over the glaze with a full ultramarine blue colour and gold,
and they figure their wares and mind their stalls at the same time.
It is curious to watch these poor artists, at one time intent
upon their painting, at another serving a customer, and at other
times calmly smoking their pipes while taking care of the little
portable kilns in which they are firing their few wares.
When in use this little kiln is generally placed in the door
way of the cottage. It is about eighteen inches in height by
fifteen in width, and would to us appear a mere toy ; yet the poor
artist watches over the firing of his wares with the tenderness of
a mother over her sleeping child. While his wares are in the
kiln he appears to devote himself wholly to his fire and his pipe ;
yet if a customer should appear, he will attend to his wants at
the little stall which stands in the front of his house.
In this notice of the ceramic manufactures I have tried to
distinguish between the different forms of faience and those of
porcelain, and have spoken of the places in which each are made.
This classification is apt to be misleading, for in most of the pottery
districts both wares are made.
If we visit one of the chief potters of Kioto we shall find

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 401
that he makes both porcelain, earthen goods, and stone -ware.
Thus that celebrated man Kiyomidsu Rokubei we find engaged
in the manufacture of exquisitely finished porcelain teapots, cups,
and vases, some of which are tenderly painted, while some have
sprays raised upon them by " slip " — pate-sur-pite.1 Others have
the rich blue surface which characterises the old Worcester work,
with white sprays also raised in slip. But this man also makes
rough objects in a coarse yellow earthenware, curious embossed
tiles, irregular lumps of clay which he glazes and employs as the
pavement of his garden paths ; indeed, there is scarcely a form of
pottery ware that this manufacturer does not produce.
The same remark applies to Ichi-no-kura, for here one man
makes wares resembling those of Banko, as well as blue-and-white
porcelain and dark metallic-looking pots, while others are engaged
in manufactures widely different from those which characterise
the district. No further trust can be placed in the potters' marks than in
the character of the wares themselves. One man will sometimes
use two or three marks ; as his own trade name, the trade name
of his master, and the name of the district in which he works.
Having seen the manner in which trade marks are applied,
even in those cases where deception is not aimed at, I have often
been amused at the pertinacity with which many in England
maintain the infallibility of such stamps. It is only too apparent
to those who have travelled in the country and visited the seats
of industry, that the attempt to fix the names of the potteries at
which pieces have been made, the artists who made them, or even
their dates, must be useless, save in the case of a few men who
have become famous. But even these may be confused with
deceptive imitations made for sale in the European and American
markets, or with the works of the favourite apprentice who has
succeeded to the business and imitated his master's style.
As an artistic manufacture the ceramics of Japan differ widely
from those of ancient Greece. Greek pottery had a beauty of
form which has never been equalled in any other nation. Beauty
1 " Slip " is clay in the form of batter.
2 D

402 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of line and tenderness of shape characterised the works of both
the Greeks and Etruscans. But while these peoples produced
forms of matchless grace, and while the Greeks painted upon their
works ornaments beautiful in form, simple in treatment, and
arranged with the utmost regard to quantities, neither the Greeks
nor the Etruscans knew anything of the varied and subtle pro
cesses by which the Japanese give variety to their wares.
The Greeks produced no porcelain ; and variety, even in their
earthenware, was most limited, while in Japan the methods of
work are well-nigh innumerable.
As regards beauty of form, it must be admitted that the
Japanese are far behind the ancient Greeks, and Japanese shapes
certainly often display quaintness rather than grace. Yet as there
are in Japan many shapes which are beautiful even when compared
with the Greek standard, so there are also many which are some
what clumsy, awkward, and what we might call, podgy ; while
others are bounded by heavy curves instead of lines of beauty.
Humorous eccentricities account for many of the forms found
in the pottery of Japan, while others are explained by reference to
the natural objects common in the country.
As illustrations of forms resulting from the sense of humour,
I may mention certain objects which are before me — as a tea
pot in the form of a frog — the mouth acting as the spout, another
teapot in the form of the fingered orange already mentioned,
another in the form of a duck, another in the form of a swallow,
while another simulates a portion of a tree stem from which a
branch with flowers protrudes as the spout.
Of the second class we have many examples ; thus, cups in
the form of the lotus leaf are welcome to the Japanese, as the
Nelumbium is Buddha's plant ; and the prevalence of cylindrical
vases (the " spill " shape) is due to the fact that many of the
vessels of daily use are cut from the stem of the bamboo, and of
necessity have this shape. But the most characteristic form in
the common pottery of Japan is that of the gourd.
In glancing round the room in which I sit I see more than
twenty specimens derived from the bottle, or pilgrim's, gourd, but

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 403
in these I only include such as have the contraction in the centre,
like the old hour-glass ; yet the onion-shaped bottle with a long
neck, such as we so often see in Kishiu ware, is undoubtedly
derived from another and equally characteristic form of gourd ; and
while primitive man has frequently made his drinking cups from
portions of the gourd shell, such vessels may be found in use at
the present day in Japan, together with earthen pots having forms
similar to the natural object. Ladles formed by the longitudinal
splitting of a long-necked gourd are also common in the country.
Before me, in porcelain or earth, lie long gourds, short gourds,
broad gourds, narrow gourds ; gourds with the upper and lower
distensions almost of the same size, gourds with the lower disten
sion large and the upper small, and gourds bent in various
manners. One gourd is a sachi bottle, one a teapot, one a sauce
bottle, and one (or rather half a one) a ladle ; while, if we were
to include the long-necked bottle, with the one globular bulb, and
the common sachi cup (for it was a bottom portion of a gourd),
amongst the vessels derived from the gourd, the specimens met
with would be simply innumerable.
While speaking of the gourd, we may mention that its form
in pottery ware is by no means peculiar to Japan, for it is equally
common in China and Morocco : and even in Central Africa a
similar thing occurs ; for here we find rude metal vessels which
are mere imitations of the carved calabash shells of the district.
In some cases the gourd form is somewhat strangely used ;
for some vessels may be regarded as formed chiefly of a tube
having the sectional form of the gourd or hour-glass. Here,
before me is a teapot so shaped, and with the ends made of flat
pieces of this gourd-like shape. An earthenware basket which
I bought in the Sanda district is of this shape. But here the
tubular portion is large and short, and stands vertically. It has
a flat bottom and an arched handle.
It would be easy to furnish many illustrations of the manner
in which the Japanese have derived the forms of their wares from
natural objects ; but having called attention to the fact, I must
leave the reader to pursue the inquiry for himself. Could we extend

404 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
our researches to all branches of manufacture, and to all countries,
such an investigation would have great interest, but as we must
confine our remarks to pottery and to Japan, the inquiry loses
much of the fascination which it would otherwise possess.
Comparisons, it is said, are odious ; yet in considering the
manufactures of a country we may reasonably try to estimate their
true value, especially when a nation has produced such works as
command the attention of the world. I must say that in form
the Greeks stand pre-eminent, that the Chinese and the Moors
perhaps come next, then the Persians and Indians, while the
Japanese lack tenderness of shape. But in other respects I think
that Japanese works take a first place ; and I cannot help feeling
that the best productions of Ota, the finest works of Shiba, and
the choicest cups of Satsuma, are things unsurpassed in the
potter's art, and that some of the later works of Kioto are fit for
a place in the best boudoir in the land.
Respecting the manufacture of porcelain and faience some
thing must be said. It may be remembered by those who visited
the Philadelphia Exhibition that the Japanese there showed those
materials which are spread so widely over the country, and are
used in the pottery manufactures, as clay, kaolin, silex, etc. In
the official catalogue of the Japanese section of this exhibition, we
are told that " in many instances very good ordinary refractory
materials and fine porcelain clay are found close together. This
is the case to a most remarkable degree in the neighbourhood of
the small town of Arita, province of Hizen, the head centre of the
porcelain manufacture in Japan. Within a very limited circuit,
not half a mile in diameter, there are found embedded in the rock
at different places all the materials necessary for the biscuit, for
the coating of the ware before glazing, for the glaze, for the
craquele, etc., the best being of such good quality that, after being
powdered and decanted, it is used without any further mixture for
the finest ware, — the so called egg-shell porcelain. In the central
part of Nippon,1 where granite is the principal constituent of the
mountains, in the provinces of Owari, Yamashiro, and the island
1 Japan.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 405
of Awajishima, opposite Hiogo, beds of petuntse, very much like
the Bohemian material, are to be found. When used for porcelain,
this material is mixed with silicious and feldspathic materials from
other places."
This is what the Japanese say respecting the materials with
which they fabricate their ceramic wares ; but the ordinary wares
of Awaji, we are told, " consist of a strongly baked biscuit, chiefly
composed of kaolin," and that they are " glazed with a very fusible
mixture of sand and oxide of lead, which, by an addition of copper
oxide or certain naturally-coloured clays, assumes a green, yellow,
or brownish-red colour."
Before making any comments of my own on the processes
of manufacture, I think it well to extract from the Philadelphia
catalogue their own description of the porcelain manufactures,
which is as follows : —
" The art of porcelain making presents features which, of course, in
principle, are very similar to those of porcelain manufacturing in Europe ;
however, the machinery used is of a more primitive kind.
" Whatever may be the nature of the raw material, be it quartz, felsite,
kaolin, feldspath, or the peculiar porcelain-stone of Arita, it is always powdered
by means of balancing pounders of a peculiar construction. These are
composed of long horizontal beams, with a perpendicular cross piece at one
end, giving the whole the shape of a hammer, and with a water-trough at the
other end. This instrument is put up wherever a small stream of water can be
utilised ; the water running into the trough raises the pounder by over-weight,
and running out at the end in consequence of the incline, allows it to fall down
again, with the iron-shod cross piece dropping into a stone mortar, in which the
materials are thus reduced to powder ; the latter is then sifted, mixed with
water, and decanted.
" No other machinery, such as the quartz or glaze mills of foreign porcelain
manufactories, is used, and the consequence is that all the material which
cannot be sufficiently powdered by the above described pounders — amounting
often from forty to fifty per cent — is thrown away as waste.
" The fine powders produced by decanting are carefully mixed and removed
into flat boxes, where the water is partly drained off through a sand bedding
covered with matting, and partly tapped off from above the deposed clay ; the
latter is finally brought to more consistency by placing it on the warm furnaces.
Long experience, combined with the good quality of the raw material, enables
the manufacturers to prepare a clay fit even for the production of very large
pieces, such as vases from six to seven feet in height. These are chiefly

406 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
manufactured in Arita ; whereas porcelain tables, painted slabs, fireplaces,
and similar articles, are mostly made in Owari. The throwing and shaping of
the clay is done upon the common potter's wheel, which, in the town of Arita
(Hizen), consists of a flying wheel and a working disc, twelve or fifteen inches
one above the other. These are united by a sort of hollow wooden prism, so as
to form one system of wheels, which is placed over a vertical round piece of wood
fastened in the ground. To avoid friction as much as possible, this system of
wheels is resting upon the pointed stick by means of a hollow piece of
porcelain set underneath into the working disc. By means of this lathe the
workmen in Arita turn out large dishes of three feet in diameter, as well as the
so-called egg-shell porcelain, not thicker than paper. For very heavy and large
pieces the lathe is turned by means of a driving-cord.
" In all other provinces but Hizen the lathe is of a more simple and
imperfect construction, the flying wheel being at the same time the working
disc. " Moulds are also used, and made of ordinary clay. Since the Vienna
Exhibition the use of gypsum for moulding is taught to the porcelain manu
facturers of different places, and will most likely effect an important progress.
Some of the pieces exhibited at Philadelphia have been made by the new
process. " When the pieces have been sufficiently dried in the open air they are
shaped with sharp iron tools on the same lathe on which the first throwing has
been done, and are then coated with a very pure white clay, so as to give the
finished ware a better appearance, and to bring out with more intensity the
fine blue colour of the cobalt painting. After this coating the ware receives
the preliminary baking in small kilns built in the open yards of the manu
facturing localities. The pieces are then painted with the oxide of cobalt, and
afterwards glazed in the same way as in Europe. The glaze is always
composed of a feldspathic material, either natural or produced by the mixture
of different minerals, to which is added a certain quantity of wood ashes freed
from the alkali by careful lixiviation. The proportion of ashes depends on the
place which the pieces have to occupy in the kiln, the heat of which is not
quite uniform. With reference to certain peculiar kinds of porcelain, such as
the Celadon or the craquele, the materials used are not the same as for the
white or common ware. For the Celadon the .body is the same, but the glaze
is made of a mineral different from that which is used for the glaze of the white
ware. The craquele, i.e. the body of the craquele, is made from a peculiar
kind of porcelain stone ; but the nature of the network of cracks, the size of
the meshes, etc., depend not only upon the thickness of the glaze and of the
white coating underneath, but also on the degree to which the piece is baked
before and after glazing. The ware is finally rubbed over with Chinese ink,
so as to render the cracks more distinct.
" The kilns are of a peculiar construction, and are always built on the slope
of a hill, in a line of from four to twenty, according to the importance of the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 407
locality. The base of each kiln lies about three feet higher than the base of
the foregoing one, so that, if all the kilns were uncovered, the whole of them
would present the aspect of terraces formed by a series of platforms, each three
feet high. The ground -plan is in the form of a rectangle, or rather of a
trapezoid, the kilns growing wider and wider as they extend up the hill. The
walls on the four sides of the ground-plan being vertical to the height of a few
feet above the base, gradually form a vault, the corners of which have been
rounded off in such a way that the upper part of the vault presents no corners
at all. This somewhat complicated shape will be more easily understood
when it is stated that one of the large kilns in Arita has a length of twenty-
seven feet, a depth of eighteen feet, and a height of fifteen feet in the centre.
The central section by the depth would resemble half an ellipse, with the
principal axis in a vertical position, while the section through the length of the
kiln would be half of an ellipse, with its principal axis in a horizontal position,
and raised three or four feet above the ground. The front wall of each kiln, i.e.
the wall facing the lower end of the line of kilns, is pierced on the level of its
floor by a series of holes eight to twelve inches high, and three to four inches
wide ; and in the opposite wall, which, on account of the trapezoidical ground-
plan of the kiln, is a little longer than the front wall, there is a second series
of similar holes, but at three feet above the floor, and consequently opening
exactly upon the floor of the next kiln. In this way a draught is established
through the whole line of the kilns, which ends in a range of short chimneys,
corresponding to the draught-holes of the last kiln. There are no separate
furnaces or fireplaces, but the fuel is thrown directly into the kiln. For this
purpose a space o m. 70 to 1 m. wide has been reserved along that wall of the
kiln, the air-holes of which open immediately upon the floor, and is separated
from the main part of the kiln by thick perpendicular fire-clay slabs about
30 m. o to 1 m. high. This separate narrow space communicates with the
outside by means of an opening, o m. 50 high and o m I 5 wide, made into
the side wall of the kiln. Through this opening the fireman very dexterously
throws dried wood into the kiln, three pieces at a time ; and, notwithstanding
that the kiln is sometimes 8 m. in length, fires it with all the required regularity.
The current of air passing through the lower kilns reaches the wood through
the holes in the front wall ; the flame, deviated by the upright fire-clay slabs,
does not strike the porcelain directly, but follows the vault, and the heat spreads
more equally amongst the objects placed in the kiln. The opposite part of the
vault is purposely made steeper than the side whence the flame starts ; conse
quently, the latter does not take the straight line to the opposite holes, but
produces a sort of whirling fire, which takes the objects also from behind.
The flame passing through from the lower kiln, where the firing is actually
going on, into the following kiln, produces sufficient heat to render this latter
red-hot by the time that the firing is finished in the first. At this moment
the opening through which the first kiln has been fired is closed up with fire
bricks, and the firing begins in the second one.

408 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
" By this arrangement, the principle of which is very similar to that ofthe
modern circulating furnaces for burning bricks, the fresh air has to pass through
the kilns that have already been fired, and reaches the wood with a high tem
perature, producing combustion on most favourable conditions, while the
departing flame is used for heating the next kilns. Since each kiln is heated
by the fire ofthe foregoing ones before its own firing begins, it profits by an
amount of heat which is the greater the farther up its place in the line. This
explains why the manufacturers have thought it to be more advantageous to
construct the kilns of increasing size in following the line upwards. At Arita,
for instance, the lowest kiln has a length of seven feet, a depth of six feet, and
a height of six feet, whilst the last one is twenty-seven feet long, eighteen feet
deep, and fifteen feet high. The single separate furnace to begin the firing is
situated at the lowest end of the line. The fuel is pine wood, which has been
barked and dried in the oven. It may be remarked that the firing, even in
the larger kilns, does not generally last more than fourteen hours ; but it
should be borne in mind that they are already red-hot when the firing begins.
" The setting of the pieces in the kiln is done with precautions similar to
those observed in Europe to prevent their distortion. The only difference is
that in general only a small number of pieces are protected by fire-clay boxes
or saggers, while the greater part are directly exposed to the fire ; but in this
respect improvements have been lately introduced by some of the principal
manufacturers. " In order to prevent the dust from falling down from the vault, the inner
surface of the kiln is coated with a glazing mixture before the firing begins.
The pieces are arranged upon fire-clay stands, made in the shape of round
tables, and placed one upon another to a height which a man can easily reach.
The upper half of the large furnaces remains entirely empty, but surplus height
of the vault is necessary to prevent it from caving in, which would certainly
happen were it too flat.
" The kilns are constructed in a manner which has the great advantage of
being extremely cheap. When the floor is prepared and the side walls erected
two or three feet above the ground, a centering is made by placing within this
space one or more poles made of young trees, with the branches cut in such a
way as to give the upper end the shape of a fork. The length of these poles
corresponds to the height of the vault in the place where they are erected.
Young pine-trees are then fastened along the inner side of the walls by one
end, then bent over the uprights, and fastened with straw ropes in such a way
that the whole centering represents a vaulted network with wide meshes.
Long strips of bamboo are then tied to the main centering, so as to produce,
finally, a sort of basket-work, leaving only such small interstices that the
building material cannot fall through. A mixture of fire-clay, powdered, and
broken fire-bricks, with enough water to give the mixture sufficient plasticity,
is now placed on the centering. The kiln-builders, using their hands only,
cover the centering with this mixture, taking great care to make it as compact

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 409
as possible. When the material has settled down and has become sufficiently
dry, without entirely losing its plasticity, the exterior is beaten with heavy
wooden mallets in order to harden and to smoothen it. The vault is now solid
enough to stand without the centering ; this is thereupon taken away, and the
inside smoothened and hardened with small mallets. When repairs are neces
sary, the damaged part of the kiln is broken away, and a centering built at the
required place in the manner described above ; whereupon the whole is filled
up, this time with fire-bricks and not with the above-mentioned mixture. Thus,
after a certain number of repairs in different places, almost the whole of the
vault becomes composed of fire-bricks. These kilns are said to last fifteen
years, and even the largest do not cost over sixty dollars. Their shape and
dimensions vary in the different provinces, the walls being more or less steeply
vaulted. The above description refers to those kilns of Arita which seem to
be the most perfect. The kilns used for baking the porcelain before glazing
are of a similar shape, but smaller and always single, each manufacturer
having his own kiln on his premises. But the finishing kilns belong to the
community, and are situated here and there on the boundaries of the town or
village ; they are rented to the different manufacturers. In the town of Arita
their number amounts to over .two hundred, and they are fired in turns, so that
each kiln is used only six or eight times a year.
" The greater part of the articles which are baked in these kilns belong to
the kind called ' Sometsuki,' or porcelain decorated with blue paintings under
neath the glaze ; this is done with a native cobaltiferous ore, or with a purer
material imported from China. Almost all the ware made for home use is
' Sometsuki.' Another part is left white in order to be decorated on the glaze
with coloured enamels, which have to be baked in peculiar furnaces at a lower
temperature. This kind of porcelain is manufactured chiefly in Hizen, and
mostly for the foreign market. The chief ingredients of the enamel consist
of powdered glass (a sort of flint glass composed of silica, litharge or red lead,
and nitre), with an addition of white lead or of silver powder in various pro
portions, for the purpose of giving to each enamel a proper fusibility.
" The colouring oxides to be mixed with the flux are very few in number,
viz. copper, manganese, antimony, red oxide of iron, impure oxide of cobalt
(for the black), and a sort of smalt from China ; finally, gold for carmine tints
mixed with powdered glass, and for gilding with a slight addition of white lead
or borax. None of these enamels are melted beforehand in a crucible, but
the ingredients are mixed by the painter himself and used directly for painting,
so that the green, the yellow, the violet, etc., only appear when the pieces are
baked in the muffle. Of later years foreign enamels have been used, but the
painters are more and more inclined to return to the original native style of
decoration. Porcelain painting, to a much smaller extent than in Hizen, is
done in Owari, Kioto, and in Yedo, on white Owari ware.
" The manner in which this decoration is produced differs very much from
the European method. In the first place, the whole design is traced in black

4io JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
lines, and the shades, when at all, are only indicated by strokes. The coloured
enamels are put on either in a thin layer when they are opaque, such as the
red, the yellow, and the black, or in a thick layer when they are to produce,
after melting, the effect of coloured glass, through which the black tracing of
the design is visible. Sometimes relief paintings are produced by first coating
the porcelain with a white opaque enamel, which contains no oxide of tin, but
is merely a mixture of glass, white lead, and powdered stone, and on which
the other colours are then painted. Generally speaking, the whole decoration
is finished in one baking ; very seldom it requires to be baked a second time.
As to the character of the Hizen porcelain decoration, it is so well known
in foreign markets that it needs no special description. In Owari, Kioto,
Mino, the great bulk of the porcelain consists of blue ware or Sometsuki ;
but a remarkable article produced in Kioto is the Eraku ware (so named
after the inventor), which consists of porcelain painted over with red oxide
of iron, on which ground all kinds of mythological ornaments are applied in
gold. " Kaga ware is decorated in a most characteristic way. It is distinguished"
by the very fine gold ornamentation, generally on red, sometimes on black
grounds, leaving open fields with paintings of flowers, birds, or personages,
either dressed in red or gold outlines, or painted with transparent enamels of
a similar composition, as those used in Hizen. These latter paintings are
characterised by the vigorous tracing of the black outlines under the enamels,
and the power with which these latter have been applied. Although the ware
in itself is not generally of a very fine quality, this sort of decoration in gold
and red is very rich and most effective. In later years, when better white
ware has been manufactured in Kaga, or imported from other places for
decoration, one of the painters has produced some excellent specimens,
presenting a happy combination of the painting in red, black, and gold
outlines, with the above-mentioned peculiar style of decoration, originated by a
celebrated porcelain-maker of Kioto, called Eraku."
This is the description which the Japanese give of their own
manufactures, and it is so accurate that it needs little comment.
But with the view of rendering the nature of their kilns, and their
mode of working, better understood, I give illustrations (Figs 172,
I73> 174. and 175) which may serve to throw light on the
explanation, and for these I am indebted to Dr. Roritz of
Nagoya. To me the description seems likely to mislead in this one
respect, that while Japanese potteries are usually very small, this
account would cause one to suppose that they are generally
of considerable size. In Hizen there are potteries where a

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

411

number of men are employed, and in Mino and Owari there
are also works which give employment to a score or more of
potters ; but the great mass of those potteries, from which the

Fig. 172.— The Potter's Wheel.

Fig. 173.— The Paintek at his work.

celebrated works proceed, have, as workmen, the master and a
son, or the master and an apprentice, or, at most, the master and
one or two others, I visited sixty -eight potteries, yet I never
saw a potter's wheel of the description named by the Japanese in
the Philadelphia catalogue.
In a paper which I read before the Society of Arts some
little time since, I gave this as a description of the manner in
which earthen vessels were usually made. " In a lovely little
room, the floor of which was covered with mats, dwelt the potter
. One mat being removed from the floor, a potter's wheel is
exposed to view ; but the wheel is of the simplest character. It

412

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

is a mere circular stone, of the form of a Cheshire cheese, is
level with the uncovered floor, and works on a vertical axis
which is fixed in a log of wood beneath. At one side of the
wheel is a clean tray bearing a lump of clay. At the other side
is another tray, often well lacquered, on which the vessels, when
shaped, are placed. The
operator now kneeling
in front of the wheel,
and sitting more or less
back on his heels, sets
the disc in motion by
whipping it with the tips
of his fingers till the
necessary speed is at
tained in its rotations.
He now places a piece
of clay upon the wheel
and gives to it form in
the usual manner, stop
ping to whip the stone
whenever it is necessary
that its speed be re-
quickened. In this way
he shapes his wares."
I invariably found
that where excellent work was produced things were on a very
small scale ; and that it was only in those cases where numbers
of common things were made (like the ordinary wares of the
country or those produced for the European and American
markets) that anything like a factory system existed. It is
important to remember that a Japanese potter, lacquer -worker,
or other handicraftsman, may become as famous as a Landseer
or a Turner, and that works bearing his signature will be as
much sought after by the natives as those of any of our "great
masters " are by us.
Such men are invariably lost in their art. They give them-

FlG. 174. — Ovex.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

4i3

selves up to the production of the excellent, the beautiful, the
lovable ; and whether their food is of the poorest or the best they
do not seem to care. Their whole pride lies in the production of
meritorious works.

Fig. 175.— Kii.n.

In buying from one of these men a specimen of his work I
found that he could not count money, and that he had little or no
idea of its value. The buying and selling was done exclusively
by his wife and daughter ; and as the money system had changed
much in the last twenty years, this poor but skilled workman
had failed to keep pace with the day. His life had been wholly
consumed in his work.
This was by no means a solitary case ; and it is only under
similar conditions to these that we get those grand objects which
both we and the Japanese so much value. Whenever these men
part with a work they are most particular in placing it in a
beautifully finished pine -wood box, on which they place their

414 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
autograph and seal (red stamp), and in wrapping the box in
paper which they again sign. None but ordinary works are sent
out without being thus packed.
Happily for Japan the personal pride of a workman is as
great as that of any of our artists or our sculptors.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 415

CHAPTER V.
THE METAL MANUFACTURES.
The art of metal casting is of great antiquity, and it appears
to have been carried to a high state of perfection at an early
period ; indeed, during the Middle Ages bronze casting, chasing,
engraving, gilding, and the various processes connected with the
goldsmith's art, were so perfect that they have never been
excelled. This is at once apparent to those who have had the
opportunity of studying the old swords with their various orna
ments, and the large castings of Buddhas and of bells which may
be seen in the country.
The traveller is astonished at the magnitude as well as the
excellence of some of the metal castings which he meets with ;
but in contemplating these works we should always bear in mind
that they resulted from a national interest awakened by the priests.
In mediaeval times the casting of a large bell, an image, or a
bronze lantern, was a matter of public concern, and for the work
the priests collected offerings of gold ornaments, of copper, and of
other metals.
The Dai-butz at Nara and Kamakura are the largest metal
castings now existing in the world — that at Kamakura being
forty-seven feet in height, while that at Nara is fifty-three and a
half feet from the base to the top of its head. The latter of
these enormous statues was first erected in the eighth century,
but, being destroyed during the civil wars, it was recast about
seven hundred years since.

416 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
In attempting to produce this enormous casting six failures
were made, and it was only by the seventh effort that success was
achieved. Three thousand tons of charcoal are said to have been
used in the operation. We are told that the metal used in the
production of this great Dai-butz weighs four hundred and fifty
tons, and that it is an alloy consisting of about one part of gold,
four parts mercury, thirty-four parts tin, and nineteen hundred
and seventy-two parts of copper.
Here, as in Europe, much of the best work of the Middle
Ages was achieved in the monasteries, where religious enthusiasm
and holy zeal led to that loving work which was ultimately fostered
through the baronial system, when the skilled workman became
the servant of a feudal lord.
It was in the eighth century that the Mikado became secluded;
but it was not until the end of the twelfth century that Yoritoma
(the first Shogun) initiated the dual system of government by
leaving Kioto (with the officers of the internal revenue) for Kama
kura, and establishing those conditions which led to the feudal
system. Although the Mikado remained at Kioto, Kamakura
became the actual seat of Government, and was subject to Yori-
toma's will. Five members of Yoritoma's family were now made
governors of provinces ; but before this time the governors were
civil officers of the Court. The people were next taxed for the
support of the provincial troops, who were subject to Yoritoma's
relations, or to military rulers who were appointed as co-rulers of
the provinces with the Court officials. Yoritoma thus gained a
military supremacy which made him practically the ruler of Japan.
The power of this mighty ruler became increased through a
conquest which he achieved in the north of the country. By way
of a reward for this service he was received in great state by the
Mikado at Kioto ; had valuable presents given to him, many of
which I inspected at Kamakura and Nara, where they are still
preserved, and was appointed to the important office of subjugat
ing barbarians.
The military governors of the provinces gradually became
more powerful, and with the increase of power came an insolent

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 417
and overbearing manner, which led to the Court governors of
provinces being entirely superseded by military authority. Thus
the military rulers gradually became feudal lords, each of whom
commanded a certain number of armed men ; but all were subject
to the Sh6gun, or chief of the barons, who held a power from the
Mikado by which he could reward acts of prowess, or any conduct
which he personally approved.
Thus was established a system which did much to foster art
in the country. Prior to the time of Yoritoma handicraftsmen
were found chiefly In the Buddhist monasteries, where the quiet
and leisure necessary to the production of great art works could
alone be enjoyed. But no sooner was the feudal system established,
by the military rulers of provinces becoming Barons or Daimi6s,
than a fierce persecution of the Buddhist monks took place, when
the power of the priesthood was to a great extent broken. The
newly established rulers of provinces now sought skilled workmen
who could manufacture objects such as they themselves desired
to use, and which might serve as presents worthy of the accept
ance of the Shogun or other barons. These workmen became
part of the household of the lord for whom they wrought. They
lived in the precincts of the baronial palace ; they were fed and
clothed as the servants of the household ; they were allowed to
marry ; and received presents or favours in return for the produc
tion of works having special merit.
For seven centuries the best art work of Japan was done
under the conditions of rest and leisure enjoyed by artists working
under the baronial rule, just as the best work had formerly been
done in the seclusion of the monastery.
Metal-work, especially, prospered during the earlier part of
the feudal period, for not only were good sword-blades necessary
during the periods of civil war, but officers of rank, as well as the
Daimi6 himself, sought to have their sword and armour adorned
with metal ornaments of marked beauty. On the perfection of
these enrichments, both as regards workmanship and art, they
especially prided themselves.
Our first acquaintance with Japanese manufactures revealed
2 E

418 JAPAN- ITS ARCHITECTURE,
their skill in the casting of metals. But it was the Vienna Exhi
bition which showed what supreme casters of metal the Japanese
are. In this exhibition was shown a casting of a flight of birds,
which may now be seen in the Archaeological Museum at Edin
burgh. The birds are so arranged that the group forms a
continuous casting. Yet the birds composing it are almost
separate the one from the other. This casting is the work of a
Tokio manufacturer of remarkable ability.
So far as I know, this was the most notable work ever produced
by the flowing of molten metal into a mould. But even this
marvellous work was surpassed by a peacock sent to the last Paris
International Exhibition by the same wonderful metal founder.
This peacock, which was of life size, had a drooping and
unspread tail, but many of the feathers, and even barbs of the
feathers, were distinctly rendered ; while in many cases the barbs
were separate the one from the other, and the individual feathers
more or less distinct.
Up to the time when this marvellous casting was brought
before the eyes of Europe nothing approaching it had ever been
produced, I believe, by any people or in any time ; but before
the close of the exhibition in which this was shown, Messieur
Barbedien of Paris added some truly remarkable works to his
exhibit, which, while smaller than the Japanese bird, were equally
difficult of production. But were I to guess how he accomplished
his work I should say that he had learned the Japanese secret,
and adopted their method of work.
While in Tokio I had the opportunity of seeing the little
foundry of the great metal caster who sent these marvellous objects
to Europe, and he most kindly showed me how he achieved his
results. The great peculiarity which I noticed in the Japanese method
consisted in a fresh model being made for every work produced.
Thus, if fifty kettles were to be formed of the same pattern, not
only would a fresh sand mould be made for each particular kettle,
but a fresh model would be prepared for the making of each mould.
All must now be familiar with those beautiful iron kettles

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

419

which have become so fashionable for the afternoon tea-drinking,
and which frequently have a flower or some other device jutting
out from the side in almost full relief. These are of Japanese
manufacture, and while the body
is of iron the lid and the handle
are generally of bronze (Fig. 1 76).
To produce such a kettle a
block of wood is turned to the
shape of its body, and the spray,
or whatever ornament is to
appear on the finished work,
whether it be simple or most
elaborate, is modelled in wax
on this " core," a separate pro
cess of modelling being neces
sary to the production of each
particular kettle.
It will be seen that this pro
cess, although laborious, gives
variety and interest to the works produced ; and while all such
methods must seem to us to involve an unnecessary expenditure
of labour, I yet think that the Japanese gain as much as they
lose by their processes.
Nothing is so calculated to remove from man a true perception
of art qualities as seeing hundreds of works precisely alike. The
mere fact of seeing a number of duplicates of the one thing, how
ever meritorious each may be, is calculated to weaken our appre
ciation of the beautiful. The multiplication of examples inspires
dislike, though the work itself may be worthy of admiration.
No one would like to see his walls covered with fifty copies
of Landseer's " Last Mourner," Herbert's " Man of Sorrows," or
Frith's " Derby Day," even if each one were painted by the same
master. So is it with reproductions of art objects of any kind.
There is something about numbers which in some way detracts
from our appreciation of the object multiplied.
The Japanese method of casting gives a certain amount

Fig. 176. — Cast-Iron Kettle, with lid
and handle of bronze.

42o JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of variety in the work produced, for no two objects are precisely
alike. And each has a special character resulting from the
personal work of the modeller.
It is this quality which causes those who have art appreciation
to prefer Japanese kettles to anything that the black countries
have yet produced.
Whether the work be large or small a model is first made on
a rough piece of wood, to which shape is given by the addition of
a mixture of wax and resin ; but in the case of long feathers or
other fragile parts the wax would enclose such wires or bamboo
slips as would be needed for their support.
The model being prepared, a thin batter is formed by mixing
a sand of exceeding fineness, and almost clay -like in character,
with water. This is carefully spread over the model in such a
manner as to coat it all over. But care must be taken to leave
no air-bubbles between the wax and the sand. When this batter
is dry a second coating is given, and then another, but now the
batters are formed of a slightly coarser sand. If necessary, other
coats are placed over the whole or part of the work. When
these are dry sand is piled around the mass and pressed into all
the spaces which have been but partly filled by the semi-fluid
matter, till the whole appears as one shapeless but solid mass.
The next process consists in removing the model with its
surrounding sand to a sort of kiln or " muffle," in which the
heat is sufficient to melt and evaporate the wax, and even to
consume the wooden core should any exist. Certain holes have
necessarily been left through which the metal is to be introduced
to the mould, and also holes by which air is to be expelled at the
time of casting. Through the holes any dust or ash can be
removed from the mould.
By this process of melting the wax, and evaporating it
through the body of the sand, a firmness seems to be produced
in the mould which our moulds lack. But the fact that the wax
model is first coated with semi-fluid matter does much to attain
this end. It is well known that if a pint of fine sand is placed
in a vessel, much water may be added to it with the result of

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES'.

421

diminishing, rather than increasing, its bulk. Particles of matter
adhere more closely together when floated in water than when in
air, and it is owing to this fact that we are able to make paper,
for the particles of vegetable fibre, being floated in this medium,
are brought into close contact and entangle themselves together.
I had no opportunity while in Japan of seeing the actual
process of casting carried on, I only saw the making of models
and moulds ; but from the explanations given to me by various
workmen it seemed to differ in no essential particular from our
own. I was, however, told that the moulds were made hot before
the fluid metal was poured into them, so as to prevent its chilling
while flowing through fine ducts. This I think highly probable,
for by no other method that I know of could such work as the
tail of the great peacock already mentioned be effected.
Anything analogous to our " piece moulds " I never saw in
Japan, and I v/as informed that of this method of working nothing
was known. The case
of "under- cut" work is
met by their wax models.
Fig. 177 is a cast-iron
hibachi with much under
cut work. In one instance I
saw a kettle, the upper
half of which was cover
ed with little rounded
eminences, closely ar
ranged in geometrical
disposition. The mould
was, in this case, formed
in two parts, an upper
and a lower, upon a
wooden core. The upper half of the mould having been separated
from the lower, the end of a small iron tool, with rounded point
(Fig. 178), was pressed into the sand wherever an eminence
was wanted ; and while these indentations of the mould were

V

Fig. 177.
Cast-Iron Hibachi or Fire-Holder.

Fig. 178.

422 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
arranged with almost mathematical accuracy, — row after row
being so placed that when the entire half of the mould was
covered with these depressions those spiral lines appeared which
are always visible when dots are regularly arranged on a globose
surface, — yet this work of " pitting " the mould was accomplished
simply by eye, and without the aid of any " setting out " whatever.
The casting of kettles is carried on chiefly in the district of
Tokio, whence many are taken to Osaka or Kioto to be inlaid
with gold and silver, for in no country in the world has damascen
ing been carried to such perfection as in Japan. The finest work
of India, Persia, Venice, and the Peninsula being entirely surpassed,
both as regards excellence of workmanship and perfection of
detail, by many of the Japanese productions. The best of this
work occurs where gold is inlaid in certain alloys, and not in
iron or steel ; but the Japanese inlay in these latter metals also.
The processes employed for the enrichment of metal-work in
Japan are more numerous than in any other country, and in the
case of small objects metal-work is carried to a perfection
unknown to any other people.
Damascening, chasing, hammering, inlaying, and combining
metals are means by which they achieve effects, as well as by the
careful use of " textures ; " but repousse" work has been practised
in Japan with magnificent results. In bold hammered iron alone,
so far as I know, has Japan been beaten by other nations ; but
while it has produced grand nail-heads (Fig. 36) and good
hinges, some of the iron -work Germany wrought during the
Middle Ages — like that which may still be seen on the old houses
near the cathedral at Frankfort-on-the-Main — is better than any
similar work in Japan.
With the exception of the nature of the alloys used, and of
the means by which colour is given to metals, the" metal manu
factures are chiefly carried on in a manner similar to that of other
countries. We here find true damascening. This results from a " dove
tail" cut being made in metal, and by a wire being hammered
into this cut. This work is effected in the following way : —

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

423

By the aid of a little chisel-like tool (Fig. 179, 1) which is ham
mered into the metal, a groove is formed with nearly vertical sides.
The same tool now tapped with a hammer is run along, first one
side of the groove (Fig. -1

m

~w<

Fig. 179.

179, 2) and then the
other (Fig. 179, 3), so as
to make the base of the
groove wider than the cut
on the surface (Fig. 179,
4). This process always
causes the groove to have
a raised and slightly re
curved edge. This edge
is now rubbed down, with
the result, as seen from the surface, of making it much narrower
than it previously was (Fig. 179, 5). A wire of gold, silver, or
some other metal softer than the body in which it is to be inlaid,
is hammered into this " dove-tail '' groove. The whole is then
ground down, and the inlaid wire appears as a gold line on the
surface. By this method most beautiful effects and complicated orna
ments are produced ; for patterns consisting of straight lines,
scroll-work, and even flowers are formed. I have before me, as
I write, some specimens of this work which are more minute
and beautiful than anything I have seen from any other nation.
The Japanese are also acquainted with the method of pro
ducing that elaborate Kuftgari work, which is one of the richest
of Indian manufactures, and is generally supposed to result from
a true method of damascening. But this is not the case, for it
is made in the manner in which the Japanese produce their
cheaper work, and results from those parts of the surface of the
metal, which are to be covered with gold, being made rough by
scratching, and by sheet-gold, of the thickness of ordinary writing-
paper, being rubbed on to this scratched work, to which it
adheres, the rough surface being sufficient to secure its adhesion.
Lines, less in thickness than the shank of an ordinary pin, can

424 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
be formed with great accuracy by this method ; and those large
masses of gold and of silver which we frequently meet with on
Japanese bronzes, and which look like lumps of solid metal, are
in reality only pieces of bronze covered with a sheet of gold or
silver thus attached.
In Japanese metal-work we not unfrequently find small plaques
of enamel introduced. These are first prepared, and then held in
their places by the " dove-tail " cut.
Much Japanese metal-work results from the cutting of forms
or devices out of a solid lump or plate of metal, which is cut into
form after it is fixed in the bronze ; but the choicest effects are
due to the absence of all mechanical methods of production, and
to the mixture of various metals and alloys in the one work.
I have before me a sort of iron button on which one or two
sprays of bamboo have been cut, as well as water with its
undulated surface ; but the interest of this little work is greatly
increased by the reflected moon appearing in the water ; the moon
being formed of a little bit of inlaid silver. Here is another iron
button in which a few sprays of some drooping tree have been
inlaid iri fine gold lines, while under the tree stands on one leg a
stork. The stork protrudes from the iron disc (it is in low relief),
and has its body formed of silver, while its eye (which is no
longer than the eye of a very fine needle) and its legs are of gold.
Here is a clasp, two and a half inches long by three-quarters of
an inch in width, which has twenty-two little daisy-like flowers
formed of white metal with gold centres. The dense mass of
little leaves on which these flowers rest is formed of some dark
metallic alloy, and each leaf appears to have been chiselled from
the solid mass by so many clean cuts. Here is a little chased
bead, about half an inch square, ornamented with flowers and
an insect ; but interest is imparted to the work by a touch of
gold on the insect's neck, and by one flower-bud being in this
yellow metal while all else is white. Here is a brooch which
has a fruit resembling that of the winter cherry boldly chiselled
out of white metal, but through some little openings in the fruit,
which represent decay, a red substance appears like coral, while

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

425

some of the leaves are white, others black (being formed of an
alloy into the composition of which antimony largely enters), and
others the rich brown of tea-urn bronze.
Here is a little gourd-like bottle formed of iron, but in this
iron are inlaid little curved and irregularly arranged lines of gold.
There is no pattern on the object, but the surface is rendered
interesting through this curious method of mixing the metals.
Here, too, is another gourd-like bottle formed of brass, but with
its surface roughened by little irregular rounded lumps of zinc or
some similar metal protruding from it.
I have also seen curious convoluted surfaces, formed by a
number of thin layers of various metals brazed together till a thick
sheet has been formed. Then, by the irregular hammering and
bulging of this sheet, and its subsequent grinding down, all the
metals of the compound sheet appear
on the surface in waved lines.
Repousse" work was formerly much
practised in the town of Hiroshima
(Fig. 180), but the manufacture has
been removed to Osaka, where the de
scendants of the old Hiroshima metal
workers still chiefly live ; but repousse
work is also made in Kioto and Tokio.
The finest specimens that I have
seen of this particular work are the
property of Mr. Mounsey.1 Curiously,
I have never seen any other specimens
similar to these. He has a bowl in
white metal, probably in white copper
(called by the Japanese tutenague),
which has a dragon hammered up on
its interior surface with almost inimi
table skill. It is one of the finest
works in repousse" that I have ever
seen. Mr. Mounsey has also a pair
1 With much sorrow I learn of this gentleman's death while my book is in the press.

Fig. 180.
Bronze Hiroshima Candlestick.

426 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of vases, about two feet in height, surrounded by nimbused saints,
and robes treated with a crisp conventionality, equalling, if not
surpassing, any mediaeval or early renaissance work still preserved
to us. There is about these works a " breadth " of treatment,
a simplicity of execution, and a boldness of design, which, when
mingled with a perfect understanding of the method by which
the design has been produced, stamp them as of great excellence.
I cannot but know the " Milton Shield," the other great works
of our Elkington, and the products of the attelier of Messieur
Christofle of Paris, and of Tiffany of New York, as well as the
objects preserved in the great museums of Europe; yet, after calm
thought, I doubt whether any greater works exist than those of
which Mr. Mounsey is the happy possessor. Since I first saw
these works I have been told that I have objects of a similar kind,
and that I have either had these works of Mr. Mounsey copied,
or have succeeded, through seeing them, in possessing myself of
like treasures. This is another instance of the fact which so often
comes before me, that others know so much more of me than I
myself know. Were I speaking according to the best of my know
ledge and belief, I should say that the only things of the kind I
have ever seen are the magnificent, and perhaps unequalled, works
which Mr. Mounsey managed to pick up while in Japan ; but as
gentlemen have stated that I also have received like works from
Japan, I suppose I must be blind, and that they are hidden
somewhere amidst my many specimens of oriental art. This I
can positively say, that I have never seen them ; and that, so far as
I know, Mr. Mounsey is the possessor of works in repoussS which
are both unique and priceless.
I saw the silversmith to the emperor (Mikado) at work on a
teapot, hammering up beautiful forms ; but what struck me most
when in his company was his grand old happy face (he was a
very old man) and his spectacles (Fig. 181).
Hiroshima bronze-work attained a celebrity which it richly
deserved, and which will increase as time advances. It resulted
from the work of the hammer, and from a simple method of
inlaying. The vessel itself was of copper-coloured bronze, whether

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

427

box, tazza, or tray ; and each specimen bore the marks of the
hammer, like a modern frying-pan. Silver inlaid sprays, bordered
by sunk tool marks, gave relief to the surface (Fig. 182). But
Hiroshima work was also characterised by little embossed metal
clasps, which overlaid every crack, handle, or seam in the metal
(Fig. 182, a a). Hiroshima bronze affords a fine illustration of
individuality of work and refined art feeling; and no better
school of hammered bronze exists than that of Hiroshima.

Fig. 181.
His Spectacles.

Fig. 182.
Hiroshima Bronze Tazza, inlaid with silver.

It would take many printed pages to enumerate the excellences
and specialties of Japanese metal-work ; the task, therefore, must
not be attempted. The wood-carver, the enameller, the weaver,
the printer, and others have an equal demand on my space, which
I must divide as well as I can amongst all.
The great charm in Japanese metal work, as in most of their
arts, consists in the variety and delicacy, the poetical feeling, and
at the same time the boldness, displayed in it. I have here
before me a metal netsuki on which I find a butterfly, a moth,
a dragon-fly, a gnat, beetles, a bee, grass, leafage, and flowers
innumerable. Thus the thought of summer, life, and beauty
is conveyed. In an illustration already given, I have spoken
of the bamboo drooping over the water in which the moon
was reflected, and here the interest centres in the sheen of the
reflected orb of night, while the very attitude of the stork, stand-

428 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
ing under the golden branches of a weeping tree, removes the
netsuki from a mere mechanical work. The bird is obviously
thinking ; and even its thoughts can be divined. It is evidently
some time since this bird last partook of food, and it has just
become conscious of the fact that it will shortly need further
sustenance. It stands on one leg, in contemplative mood, medi
tating on the nature of the meal which it should seek, and for
the moment it has scarcely made up its mind which of the finny
tribe in the adjacent waters it shall choose for its evening meal.
No people but the Japanese have understood the value of
colour in metal compositions. We make steel fenders, copper
coal-skuttles, tin kettles, and iron grates ; but we have never
fully realised the fact that by producing metallic alloys, and
combining these with pure metals, a world of colour is open to us.
We have also never known the value of reflected light in relation
to metal compositions. If light is reflected from one sheet of
copper to another many times it is intense red, if from one
plaque of tin to another it becomes an earth -green (terra vert),
and when all the effects produced by light, reflected by the
various metals, is considered, we have open to us an infinite
resource of polychromatic harmony.
The Japanese have more nearly achieved the production of
colour harmony in metals than any other people ; and in many
of their works we see gold, silver, copper, zinc, black-metal, tea-urn
bronze, green bronze, and other metals and alloys brought together ;
and not only brought together, but so arranged that their colours
are brightened by reflected lights, and brought into harmony by
skilful juxtaposition.
We are certainly in the very infancy of our knowledge of metal-
working. Chilleney's cups are masterpieces of manipulative excel
lence, and their art qualities are also great ; but there is no colour
harmony in anything that Chilleney ever produced. What are
gold and silver but vehicles for the production of the beautiful ?
and cannot tenderness of shape, delicacy of form, and careful
manipulation find expression also in copper, iron, tin, and lead ?
Are not these, then, also vehicles for the conveyance of beautiful

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 429
thought and refinement of mind ? certainly they are ; and the
Japanese alone, of all civilised nations, understand how to com
bine metals so that they shall express form, and at the same
time combine to produce colour harmonies. In their combination
of metals they express an understanding and knowledge of the
capabilities of materials greater than that of any European
people. One other point connected with Japanese metal -work is
worthy of most careful consideration, namely, the various textures
given to metals. We are too fond of bright surfaces, and not
unfrequently prefer glitter to repose ; but to the Japanese glitter
is vulgar. They tell a tale of a servant coming from the rural
districts to Tokio, where she entered the service of some dis
tinguished family. In her new abode she discovered a silver
teapot, which was beautifully oxydised and subdued in colour,
which she at once proceeded to brighten. To the Japanese this
tale has a point which is not so striking to us, for to them the whole
respectability of the article was removed by this process of
polishing, and what was a work worthy of high appreciation
had, by her labour, become an object of absolute vulgarity.
I am sure that the Japanese are right in seeking to give to
their works in metal such textures as will render their forms
apparent, and make the ornaments which they bear prominent
by contrast. Many of their works have a " toothed " or gun
powder-like grain, and from this an ornament, having a some
what smooth surface, frequently stands out. But the number of
various textures given to the surfaces of metals by the Japanese
is almost endless.
The Japanese are the only perfect metal-workers which the
world has yet produced, for they are the only people who do not
think of the material, and regard the effect produced as of greater
moment than the metal employed. To them iron, zinc, bismuth,
gold, silver, and copper, are only so many materials with which
things of beauty may be produced, and the one is as acceptable
as the other, if perfect appropriateness is seen in the application
of the material, and if the result produced be satisfactory and

430 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
beautiful. So long as we value the material rather than the art,
and insist upon purchasing art objects by the ounce, we can never
attain to true knowledge. Whoever heard of music being dealt
out in measured quantities. Fancy paying for an oratorio by
the length of time taken up in its recital, or purchasing a picture
by the yard ! Yet if a silver teapot is purchased its weight is
demanded, as though the material were not altogether insignificant
when compared with the knowledge and skill expended on its
production. If a teapot has been formed by a man who has no
art knowledge, and who has simply expended upon its production
so many hours of labour, then it is right to determine both the
value of the labourer's time and the cost of the material ; but if
the work be beautiful, and if it conveys to the beholder the
knowledge and refinement of an educated artist, then it is
ridiculous to estimate its value as though the material of which
it is composed were of greater worth than the amount of life,
thought, and painstaking care expended upon its production.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 431

CHAPTER VI.
ON THE MEANS BY WHICH FABRICS RECEIVE PATTERN.
Processes in which the effect produced results from the use of dyes.
The processes of printing on fabrics, and the means by which
figures are produced on both cottons and silks, without the aid of
the loom, are somewhat various in Japan. With the simple methods
of block printing they are perfectly familiar, but of those processes
which are mere modifications of our own I need not speak. The
methods which I am about to describe are those by which the
greater portion of Japanese fabrics receive their figure.
Japanese towels, as I have before said, are strips of a common
cloth or calico, about three feet in length by one foot in width,
which always bear some simple pattern or curious device, and
while they sometimes vary in colour, almost nineteen out of twenty
are of blue with a white figure.
All common fabrics, such as towels, coolies' dresses (Fig.
183), etc., seem to be figured by one of the following pro
cesses : —
The first method consists in preparing two blocks, the one of
which is simply a heavy piece of wood with a perfectly smooth
face, while the other has the pattern which is to be given to the
cloth cut into its surface, — the pattern is thus wrought in intaglio
upon it. From the deeper portions of the sunken figures holes
are bored through the block to the outer surface, where they are
enlarged into funnel-shaped tubes.

432

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

In order that the fabric be figured it is stretched over the
smooth surface of the plain block, as upon a table ; upon this the
figured block is now inverted ; thus the fabric lies between the

MffltfiKN

ami

, JIM .Ml i. -M W 4 W'eBm 'i

I .. ¦" if

Fig. 183. — Printed Dress of a Coolie.
The circular device is the badge of the master whom he serves.
surfaces of the plain and figured wood. Pressure is now employed
so as to bring the surfaces of the blocks as near together as
possible, when a dye is poured through the funnel-shaped holes,
and is thus brought in contact with the fabric wherever the block
has been hollowed. In a few seconds the fabric has become
saturated with the dye when the blocks are inverted, all the spare
fluid poured off ; and thus the fabric has received pattern, for the
pressure was sufficient to prevent the " running " of the dye, and
thus the obliteration of the figure.
In some cases a dyed fabric receives a white pattern by a
modification of this process, in which a weak acid, or some other
fluid which will destroy or '' discharge " the dye already existing
in a dyed cloth, is poured through the holes in the block. It is
in this way that many of the towels are figured.
Although I have described this method of producing patterns
on cloth it is by no means unknown in our own manufactures ;
but I believe that it is now almost abandoned in our calico print
works It being, however, one of the simple processes by which

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

433

cottons are figured in Japan, I have thought it desirable to
mention it.
Another process by which cotton fabrics receive pattern is that
of using a common stencil plate formed of lacquered paper (Fig.
184), but by this simple means two kinds of effect are produced.
In the one case the pattern is simply
stencilled, a dye being used instead of
paint ; while in the other case the pat
tern is stencilled with a kind of paste,
or " resist " (a substance that protects
cloth from dye when brought in con
tact with the latter). Whenever the
pattern is placed upon the fabric in
" resist " the cloth is afterwards im
mersed in a dye vat, and then washed,
by which processes the ground of the
cloth first receives colour, and then the
" resist " is washed away, leaving a white
pattern upon a coloured ground.
There is another modification of
this process, by which work is done
in the following roundabout manner. Let us suppose that a
little figure — say a leaf — has to be distributed in green colour
over the surface of a fabric, a thing which could obviously be
done by the use of a small stencil plate and a brush with a
little green colour. But the Japanese have a labour-expending
process (not a labour saving-method) by which they achieve this
result. They cut a series of leaves, all of the same shape and
size, in paper, and instead of using the sheets from which the
leaves have been cut as so many stencil plates, they take these
paper leaves themselves and arrange them upon the cloth in the
manner required. Now holding ¦ a leaf with a finger of the left
hand, and with a sort of trowel in the right, on which rests a
quantity of resist, they so spread this resist that the leaf is
buried, as well as the cloth intervening between the leaves.
Leaf after leaf is covered in the same manner, care being taken
2 F

Fig. 184. — Stencil formed of lac
quered paper. The dark tint shows
the paper, and the white lines the
openings cut in it, full size.

434 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
that the " resist " does not get under the edges of the paper.
Each leaf, which is just visible through the " resist " with which
the fabric is now covered, is picked up by a needle point ;
hence at these particular places the fabric is clean. The " resist "
is now dried, the fabric is dipped
in a green dye vat, by which the
leaf-like spaces assume their colour.
The cloth is now exposed to the
steaming process which is so fam
iliar to us, and is then washed ;
thus the resist is removed, and we
have a series of green leaves figur
ing a white surface. Fig. 185
gives a copy of a dragon cut in
paper which I saw used while in
fio. .85-paper dragon. JaPan in the manner of the leaf
just spoken of.
We must now consider the means by which expensive fabrics,
such as silks and silk crapes, receive their patterns, but as we have
no process in any way analogous to the Japanese method, so far
as I am aware, I feel the task of describing it most difficult, and
in the whole of these descriptions of processes I have moire or less
to repeat what I have already said briefly in a paper read some
little time since before the Society of Arts ; but there I could not
go into matters so fully as I can in the present work.
Now as to the means of figuring fabrics, the silk is first given
to an artist, who draws the pattern upon it as carefully as if he
were designing an historical cartoon. The pieces of silk figured
by the process which I am now describing, are about forty feet
in length by twelve inches in width, and on the entire fabric the
artist places either a varying or a repeating pattern as is required.
This pattern he draws with a preparation of indigo, which can
readily be removed from the fabric by washing ; and he not only
gives outline but adds depth, shade, or whatever may enable him
to produce a desired effect.
Thus, at the outset, the whole pattern is drawn by hand (Fig.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 435
1 86), and this we should think a sufficiently costly mode of giving
figure to a fabric ; but in the process which we are considering the
work is only now in its first stage of production.

Fig. 186. — Painting the Design on'the Fabric. After a native drawing.
The artist having finished his work hands the fabric to a
workman who has prepared a material of a most tenacious and
ductile nature — a sort of glutinous bird-lime. This mucous
matter he forms by boiling the finest possible rice-flour with lime
water of a particular strength. Having previously prepared this
glutinous matter he warms it slightly, and rubs it on a board with
a kind of putty knife, but it appears to me as difficult to rub as
warm indiarubber would be. A piece of this bird-lime about the
size of a small pea is placed on the end of a wooden point or
skewer, and a portion of the fabric is stretched flat by bowed
pieces of cane being placed beneath it. Thus all is ready for
work. Holding the stretched fabric over a small charcoal fire,
with the left hand under the cloth, so as to raise any portion of
it that may be necessary, and with the point of wood, on which is
the little ball of plastic matter, in the other hand, the operator
begins by touching the fabric at some point of the pattern, say
at the base of a leaf, with the mucous ball, which at once adheres
to the cloth. The ball of mucus is now drawn to some little
distance from the surface of the fabric, say a foot, but between
the fabric and the ball there now intervenes a thread of this
mucus, for so ductile is the material, and so sticky, that it will

436

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

adhere to anything, and draw out to a thread some yards in
length without breaking. By certain dexterous movements of the
right hand, in which the wooden point supporting the plastic matter
is held, and by the middle finger of the left hand raising the cloth
when necessary, a thread of the plastic matter is being constantly
formed, and is as constantly dropped upon the fabric as an outline
to the pattern (Fig. 187, a). With the utmost skill leaves, flowers,

Fig. 187.
and even the small parts of the flowers, as the stamens, are outlined
with this mucus, which falls upon the cloth as a thread of about
the thickness of an ordinary pin-shank. The whole pattern, how
ever small its detail, or however finely serrated its leaves, is thus
outlined. But as this outline is not sufficient, means are adopted
for thickening it. Hence a conical tube of oiled paper is formed
of about four inches in length, and with an orifice at its broad
end of about an inch in diameter. At the small end this tube
terminates in a tin nozzle, in the apex of which is an opening
such as would be made by a fine darning-needle (Fig. 1 87, b). This
tube is charged with the mucus, and through the fine opening in
the tin nozzle the plastic matter is so pressed as to thicken (on the
outside) and also to raise the outline already formed. All this has
afforded a means of preventing the " running " of dyes which are
now to be used ; and when thus prepared the fabric is ready for
the next stage of the process.
This consists in the painting with dyes of various colours of
the spaces enclosed by the little banks of now dry but formerly
mucous material; and a care is bestowed upon this painting such as

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

437

would suffice for the production of a highly-finished water-colour
drawing. In this way the pattern is wrought. The dyes having
dried, the colours are exposed for about six minutes to the action
of steam in a steam bath
(which is a sort of kit
chen "steamer" placed
over a pot of boiling-
water), and then the
mucous matter is re
moved by the fabric
being gently rinsed in
a vat of clean water
(Fig. i 88).
If the ground is to
be coloured the whole
of the figures are now
painted over by a " re
sist," and the fabric is
then dipped in the dye
vat, the ground receiving
its colour as it is un
protected. Landscapes, flowers,
birds, and groups of
various kinds are pro
duced by this meth
od, and some interest
ing sketches, which are
often mistaken in England for pure hand drawings, are wrought
by this semi-mechanical method.
Many fabrics are made by combinations of these processes ;
thus some are in part stencilled and in part wrought by this last
mentioned process.
The means of producing an effect just described appears to us
the most laborious that could well be imagined ; yet, while the
method is laborious, the results achieved are in the highest degree

Fig. 188. — Pattern of Fabric into which Telegraph
Posts, with their Insulators, and Telegraph
Wires are introduced.

438 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
satisfactory, and nothing could be more welcome than some of
the effects thus laboriously obtained.
Here, on a length of fabric figured by this strange process, we
have a series of panels, some fan -shaped, and some of other
strange forms, distributed over the surface. In each of these
shapes is painted, with all the tenderness of hand -work, an
exquisite group of flowers, a few birds at rest or in flight, or
some other pretty objects, while on the ground are dispersed
blossoms, sprays, spiders'- webs, and insects in groups of singular
interest. No purely mechanical method, such as we employ,
could possibly produce the effects gained by this mode of work ;
and while we may be disposed to talk of " wasted labour " and
" laborious methods," the Japanese yet succeed in producing, by
their process, effects that all artists esteem ; whereas but little
work yet achieved by our calico printers has satisfied persons
with art knowledge and taste.
The Japanese know other methods of figuring fabrics, as. I
have already said, but the processes described are those which
alone require our notice, for it is these only by which artistic
results are achieved ; and while -we cannot hope that our manu
facturers will follow the Japanese methods, we yet commend to
their notice the artistic character of the works produced in
Japan. The principal seat of the cotton-printing industry is Nagoya
and near towns ; but the more expensive fabrics, as silks, are
chiefly figured in Kioto.
On Fabrics figured in the Loom, by Embroidery, and
by combined Methods.
As regards the methods by which fabrics receive pattern in
the loom little need be said, for they are of primitive character ;
and the work of the Jacquard apparatus is done by a boy who
raises strings and thus enables the weaver to give pattern to his
fabrics. This same method of weaving was formerly employed by us,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 439
for on the top of our loom sat the " draw-boy," whom Jacquard
succeeded in dethroning by the ingenious contrivance which bears
his name. In Japan weaving is carried on almost without mechanical
appliances, and the shuttle is passed across the warp threads by
the hand. Even in those cases where many colours are introduced
the various shuttles necessary for the production of the fabric are
moved more in the manner of a darning-needle than that in
which such a contrivance is moved by us.
For personal wear Japanese fabrics are generally of dark
neutral colour, but a girl will show a narrow strip of bright
colour around her neck, and the sash which she winds around
her waist will often be of rich terry, with a pattern upon it in
velvet and gold. But in no case must she wear obtrusive colours,
save around the neck, or as a bow on the hair, and even these bits
of colour must be small in quantity.
The Japanese seem to understand most of the systems of
weaving that we employ, but they also have methods peculiar to
themselves. It is common to find terry cloths with parts so cut
as to produce a velvet pattern, when the velvet appears as the
figure, and the terry as the ground ; but when this is the case it
generally happens that by looking into the cut surface of the
velvet gold may be seen, for the Japanese often weave gold into
the substance of a fabric so that it can only be seen through th
cut velvet surface.
Speaking of gold, we may here remark that the thread used
in the weaving of fabrics for the production of gold tissues is
nearly always shredded gilt paper, and that gold thread is scarcely
ever used by the Japanese weaver.
The fabrics produced are very varied in character. Some are
gorgeous in colour and beautiful in effect ; but what these are
used for I scarcely know. I have seen bright coloured cloths
thrown over trays on which presents were borne to a friend, but
in no other way have I seen the gorgeous tissues which they
produce utilised. Their houses are not draped ; the window
openings have no curtains ; and there is no furniture to cover.

440 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
All I can say is, that during my stay in Japan I never saw, either
in the palace of the Mikado, the residence of a minister, the
house of a merchant, or the cottage of an artisan, any of their
richly coloured fabrics used, either as dress materials or in any
other way. On the occasion of a reception given by Sir Harry
Parkes one native lady of high rank wore a dress covered with
cherry-blossoms of the softest pink shade, and on the robes of
the priestesses at Nara were embroidered sprays of somewhat
bright colour, and, while neither was of a character similar to the
rich specimens of which I possess many examples, they were
stronger in colour than anything that I met with in the country,
save little bits of common finery in which the children of poor
parents were dressed on holiday occasions.
Amidst the rich fabrics we often find specimens in which the
ground shades from one colour to another, the most common
variation being from red to white. In one illustration I notice
that the ground changes about every half yard, whereas in
another we have this change occurring about every four inches.
Besides the gorgeous effects produced by polychromatic
colouring and the free use of gold, we have many fabrics closely
resembling our brocaded silks ; and these are either in two distinct
colours or are mere damasks, their pattern rendered visible by a
certain arrangement of the threads.
Then we have gauze -like tissues of the most charming tints
of soft greens, gray-blues, and other neutral colours, with patterns
woven upon them in gold, or in gold and colours ; but we might
almost fancy that the figures on some of these tissues had been
produced by darning, for there is no " floating " of the thread
at the back of the fabric, and the consequent cutting away of the
useless material ; and besides these there are scores of other
cloths which cannot possibly be described.
Something should be said respecting the character of the
patterns with which these fabrics are figured. One consists of a
dragon, clouds, and flowers, drawn to a somewhat large scale, and
coloured in a rich and neutral manner ; some have patterns
formed wholly of scroll-work ; others have scroll-work grounds

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 441
with circular floral ornaments placed upon them. Some have
the ground covered with fan -shaped panels, in which landscapes
are wrought ; and others have patterns of a wholly geometrical
character. Then there are patterns formed of clouds, of storks,
of insects, of pine leaves, of small diapers, of sailing boats, of
bats, of cobwebs, of fungi, of water, of feathers, of fire -flies, of
sea-monsters, of broken diapers, irregular powderings, strange key
patterns, rosettes, plaids, waved lines, and other elements too
numerous to mention, even rain being used in some of their
designs. Out of these strange materials the Japanese artists manage to
construct patterns which are both interesting and satisfying, and,
discarding symmetry and all other fetters, they give free vent to
their fancy and produce designs of the wildest order.
Yet there is nothing outre" in their patterns, for by flatness of
treatment and evenness of distribution they achieve the produc
tion of effects having all necessary qualities of repose, although,
at the same time they bid defiance to all the canons of Euro
pean art.
What would an English artist think were he asked to produce
a pattern from telegraph posts and wires, or to arrange a design
in outline and flat colours which should consist wholly of little
boys at play ? Yet with such materials the Japanese figure
fabrics ! Japanese art seems to laugh at the canons by which
the European designer is bound, and to hold our method in
derision. Clearly, without law and without order, patterns can be
constructed which are quite as acceptable as those which other
nations with fixed rules have produced.
While speaking thus respecting the art of Japan, I must not
be understood to underrate the ornament which arose in Egypt,
in China, in Greece, in Byzantium, and in Arabia, and which
developed into the styles of Rome, Pompeii, Turkey, Persia,
Morocco, and Normandy. Neither do I say that Japanese art is
of a more exalted character than these. Its forms are less pure
than the Greek, less dignified than those of Egypt, and in it we
miss that purity of style which characterises Mahometan orna-

442

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

ment. Yet there is a variety and a freshness about it which is
unknown to all other systems of decoration ; and while it savours
little of the college, and makes no pretence to Attic elegance, it
is redolent of spring, and has all the freshness of the fields and
the flowers. In the sections Architecture and Art we noticed that much of
the interest of Japanese patterns lies in its poetical feeling, and
__ here is a dress which well
illustrates this fact (Fig.
189). Woven in Kioto,
it was taken to Vienna,
where it enjoyed a con
spicuous position at the
International Exhibition,
after which it came into
my possession. The pat
tern of this dress consists
of flowers and butterflies
drawn in colours upon a
cloth of gold ground.
The flowers and butter
flies are treated as flat
ornaments, and are with
out shade or shadow ;
but it is not the har
mony of colour to which
I wish to call attention,
perfect as it is, nor the
beauty of the drawing,
though this is excellent, but the thought realised in the work,
namely, Summer. No one can look upon this beautiful dress
without feeling the influence of the sunny ground, of the profusion
of richly coloured bloom, of the glorious insects which appear to
hover over the flowers ; and the influence makes us feel that it is
summer while we gaze. No merely imitative treatment of flowers
could possibly convey the thought of summer so well as this

Fig. 189. — Woven Fabric with Cloth of Gold Ground
and Flowers and Flies in Colours.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 443
conventional treatment does, and here we are pleased with the
consistency of the means employed to achieve the effect, while if
the rendering had been naturalistic we should have been offended
by inappropriateness. The richly figured fabrics of Japan are nearly all produced in
Kioto, and the majority of the looms are owned by the rich
Mitsui banking company, yet private individuals also weave
fabrics. Embroidery is carried on as a manufacture, and it seems
never to be practised by ladies as an accomplishment. The
fabric to be decorated is stretched on a frame, and men work the
pattern much as it is worked in Europe.
Embroidery, as practised in Japan, is of many kinds, but the
more usual form is seen on those squares which have been
brought into this country in large numbers for banner -screens ;
yet these do not convey a full idea of the nature of Japanese work.
Two methods of producing results which are peculiar to
Japan are these. They have a kind of embroidery consisting
wholly of raised dots similar to those often used for the centres
of flowers in this country, and which result from wrapping the
thread several times round the needle and drawing the latter
through the coil. This class of work is made with a fine thread
when the work is on a small scale, and with a coarse thread for
the production of large pieces, such as we should use for the panels
of walls. The other method is that of forming the ground of a number
of spiral arrangements of the thread. It should be noticed that
much Japanese embroidery results from stitching threads to the
fabric on which the work is placed rather than from stitching
through the fabric, as is common with us. When a stout thread
is used — say one of the one -sixteenth inch in diameter — and the
ground is formed by this cord being rolled into flat spirals of
two or more inches in diameter, which are sewn to the fabric,
a curious effect is produced ; but I have only seen this method of
work employed on large pieces. I have also seen the ground
formed of gold threads so arranged into masses as to give much

444 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the effect of the ground of "the hawthorn pattern;" and this
arrangement has the advantage that, from whatever point of
view it may be seen, some parts of the gold will yet be bright.
In some cases remarkable effects are achieved by shaded or
mixed yarns being used. In a piece before me as I write I see
the silk thread shaded from indigo to claret colour, from claret to
green, from green to soft yellow, and from this to light blue, and
all the rocks on this piece of work are formed of this mixed yarn.
Then we have a sandy beech formed of mixed threads, but here
the shades are soft and silvery, and are so managed as to produce
a curious sheen. Water is worked in shades of blue, with white
crestings to the waves, and the clouds are worked in shades passing
from white to red, in various tints of blue, and in a series of amber
hues. A figure which is conspicuous in this piece of work has a
head and neck formed of a piece of flesh-coloured silk, which is
slightly modelled by wool being placed beneath the raised parts.
It has eyes formed of talc or horn. The skimp hair of the head,
the full eyebrows, the long but sparse moustache and beard, are
all formed of the finest of silk, the loose ends of which give a
strange naturalistic look to the embroidery. The lips are worked
with red, and a soft pink thread gives outline to the features,
while the texture of a tiger standing close beside the figure is
excellently given by shades of floss silk.
More need not be said respecting embroidery, for we must
notice a combination of processes by which the finest effects
achieved in Japanese fabrics are rendered.
In England we manufacture printed goods and woven fabrics,
and we also work embroidery, but we never attempt to combine
the three methods of producing pattern. This is not so with
the Japanese, for here we find any methods employed, however
varied, in order that effects of an art character be produced.
With us, also, printing seems to be employed for the figuring
of common stuffs only ; but in Japan the methods equivalent to
our printing processes are applied to the most costly fabrics, and
special attention is paid to the texture of the cloths which are
to receive pattern by any method of printing.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

445

Silk crape is a favourite material with the Japanese, and
it is often figured by a "resist" being stencilled over parts of
the surface, when, by dyeing, a white pattern is produced on a
coloured ground, as we have already seen. Such a pattern when
occurring on an expensive material is generally enriched by
embroidery, some of the flowers being filled in with coloured
silks or with gold, while
a leaf here and there is
emphasised in the same
manner. A dress, which to me
is especially beautiful,
was woven as a white
silk damask, figured all
over with the buds and
flowers of the plum. So
far it is a woven fabric
figured in the loom. But
now it goes to the printer,
and he stencils here and
there upon its surface in
"resist" fan-shaped pan
els, and then dips the
fabric in a soft scarlet
dye. We thus have a
scarlet fabric figured with
little plum blossoms and
white fan-shaped panels. In each panel are now drawn in tender
outline either flowers, fish, animals, birds, or landscape, and the
outline is in part filled in with subdued tints of colour. The
work next goes to the embroiderer, who works a border around
each fan-shaped panel, and who enriches certain portions of the
surface with charming sprays of the fir-tree, some in gold, some
in yellow-green silk thread, and some in a green shade of indigo
(Fig. 190).
This method of combining processes is of the greatest value

Fig. 190. — Fabric figured in the Loom, and hy
Dyeing, Painting, and Embroidery.

446 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
in achieving art effects, and we lose more than is generally
supposed by our exclusive modes of work. We forget that various
processes achieve different results, and that these various effects
can be combined in a most welcome and harmonious manner.
The question that we have to solve as artists is not simply how
we may produce the best effect by printing, by weaving, or by
embroidery, but how we can produce the most welcome results
by any processes of which we have knowledge. Surely if by a
combination of weaving and printing, or of printing and em
broidery, or by a union of the three methods of giving figure to
cloth, we can get better effects than by employing one method
only, it is our duty as well as our privilege to avail ourselves of
them. Nothing can be more stupid than our pig-headed persistence
in old methods. Progress is no longer possible if we do only
what our forefathers did ; and the gulf which separates one manu
facture from another must be crossed if we are to advance as we
should. We have yet to learn the need of so using all processes
and all materials as to achieve the best possible results. In so
doing we may meet with trade opposition and the difficulties
which spring from prejudice and ignorance, but these must be
encountered and overcome or our manufactures will ultimately be
to a great extent replaced by those of Japan.1
In some instances embroidery is used to heighten the effect
of a drawing, and in the case of Indian ink sketches on silk
golden threads are frequently employed to give sheen to clouds.
On a specimen of a very beautiful character, in which the drawing
is coloured, we have the lustre of ripe capsicums given by threads
of floss silk ; and in a melon garden by moonlight we have touches
of embroidery which give the idea of the yellow blossoms in a
strange and effective manner.
Another method by which fabrics receive pattern in Japan is
evidently derived from Central Asia, and practised to this day in
1 It may here be noticed that Japanese tea-trays have almost entirely superseded our
own, and have materially injured our manufacture of such articles, as their price is less
than that of English goods, and their art qualities greatly superior,

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

447

India ; but the Japanese objects figured by the process about to
be described are most frequently silk scarves.
The mode of procedure is as follows. Two pieces of white
silk crape are taken, each about three yards in length and twelve
inches in width (twelve inches is the usual width of native cloths).

Fig. 191. — Fabric tied ready
for dyeing.

Fig. 192. — Fabric being Fig. 193. — Fabric untied and
untied. stretched flat.

These two pieces of fabric are placed together so that one is
exactly over the other. Thus placed, we will regard them as
forming one double fabric, and will forget that there are two
thicknesses, for they are both treated as one, and the two are

•psggp.-^

Fig. 194. — Finished Silk Crape
Fabric.

Fig. 195. — Part of a Striped Silk Crape Fabric.
The stripes being formed by a method of tying.

manipulated together. A small piece of pointed stick resembling
a common meat skewer, and a quantity of waxed thread, are the
requisites of the process.
From below a small portion of the fabric is pressed upwards
on the point of the skewer into the form of a little cone of, say,

448

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

half an inch in height. Around this cone waxed thread is wrapped,
so that a little tuft or knot is formed on the surface of the fabric.
The skewer is now withdrawn and removed about half an inch
from this little tuft, when it is employed to raise a second cone,
which in its turn is wrapped round by the waxed thread. This
formation of tufts is repeated till the entire fabric is covered with
them, when it is ready for dyeing. Thus prepared the fabric is
dipped in a dye-vat, which in this case generally contains scarlet
or pink colouring matter. The dye gives colour to the cloth,
and at the same time shrinks it ; hence, where the dye has come
in contact with the crape a shrinking has taken place. Thus
permanent conical eminences are formed. The waxed thread is
now removed, each little tuft being unwound, and not only has
a curious fabric been formed with a surface consisting of conical
eminences, but also a fabric variegated in colour ; for where the
wax thread was in contact with the crape the dye could not act
upon it ; thus by the one operation a fabric has been produced
both variegated and with a rich, coarsely -granulated character
(Figs. 191, 192, 193, 194, and 195). The height to which these
eminences are brought varies
much. In some instances conical
tufts of half an inch in height
completely and regularly cover
the fabric, while in other cases
the tufts are but small and are
arranged into patterns.
Common cotton cloths are
also treated in a similar manner,
only here the tufts are large ;
but by the stretching of the
fabric after the dyeing is com
pleted irregularly shaped star-like figures have been produced over
the surface (Fig. 196).
We must not hope that English manufacturers will adopt a
process so laborious as this ; yet some of the crape scarves treated

Fig. 196. — Cotton Fabric figured by
Tyeing and Dyeing.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 449
in this manner are amongst the most beautiful and dainty of fabrics.
But what the Japanese do by hand we could achieve by the aid
of machines ; and it surely would not be very difficult to bind
the fabric into tufts by revolving spindles of suitable description.
This interesting manufacture is carried on in two small towns
— Narumi and Arimatsu — and the fabrics are called Narumi-
shibori (shibori meaning tied or knotted).

2 G

45° JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

CHAPTER VII.
MINOR MANUFACTURES OF JAPAN.
In many manufactures certain printing processes are employed,
as in the production of wall-papers, hand-screens, umbrellas, fancy
papers, and other things. For whatever purpose printing processes
may be employed, the method of engraving and of getting im
pressions from the blocks seems to be similar.
A drawing is prepared on a thin piece of paper, and this is
pasted on a block of cherry wood, which is cut with, and not
across, the grain. The engraver cuts through the paper with
knives and chisel-like tools. In this way those wooden blocks are
prepared which are used for printing the illustrations of books
as well as for producing the papers used in the manufactures :
The native drawings in this work were engraved in the same
manner. Just as we use several blocks for the production of wall
papers, so the Japanese use various blocks when different colours
occur in the one pattern ; but their methods of printing are so
simple that shading can be effected without difficulty by the use
of but one block.
In the production of wall-papers the block is placed face
upwards on a table or stool from four to six inches in height, and
the block is fed with colour in various ways. Sometimes a brush
is used for this purpose, when colours are not unfrequently blended
together, so that a polychromatic effect is given by one printing ;
sometimes by a sort of pad, like that used by engravers for the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 451
production of proof impressions ; and sometimes by a membrane
stretched over a circular frame to which a long handle is attached
(this feeder closely resembles in form a shallow stew-pan). If fed
by either of the latter methods, the colour is first applied to the
" dabber," or to the frame, and by these it is given to the block ;
but the dabber appears to be chiefly used where colours are
shaded from dark towards white. When the block is thus pre
pared with colour a sheet of paper is placed upon it and pressed
in contact with its surface either by the hand or by a pad which
is generally formed of a scale from a bamboo shoot as it first
issues from the ground.
In no instance where paper is printed did I observe the block
brought down on the paper. On the contrary, the paper was
always pressed on the block. No printing-press of any description
seems ever to have been used in Japan, the simple process already
described being that by which all printing is effected.
When speaking of wall-papers, it must be noticed that while
these are used on the " slides " which separate the various rooms
of a house, they are never produced in continuous rolls, but always
in small sheets. Silver is never used in their production, the
lustre effect which is so common in them being due to finely
powdered mica. The size used for binding the colours is generally
a sort of paste made of rice ; but I do not think the use of this
material is invariable, for sizes of different sorts, and made from
different roots, seem to be used in various cases.

Fans are made in many parts of Japan, but the cheaper kinds
are produced in the district of Kioto, while the costly productions
come chiefly from Tokio. The Japanese claim the folding fan as
a native invention, and assert that it was first made in the latter
half of the seventh century. They refer its origin to the bat's
wing, which was studied as a model. They also assert that it was
originally formed of twenty-five flat boards united by strings, and
that it was introduced into China from Japan.
The uses of this familiar object are various. It is the house-

452 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
hold bellows with which the fire is kindled ; it is the winnowing
machine by which the chaff is separated from the rice. Dancing-
girls use it in a manner which renders it indispensable as an
adjunct to the dance. It is employed by the umpire at wrestling
matches as a badge of office ; but the particular form used by
this important individual has rather the shape of a Roman paddle
than that which we associate with the fan. There is a form of
folding fan peculiar to Nara, in which the folds are much broader
than the wood side-pieces when the fan is closed ; and in some
form or other the fan finds its way into every house. There are
perfumed fans, with scented material enclosed between the two
thicknesses of paper ; there are waterproof fans, which are used
as sprinklers in hot weather by being dipped in water and then
swung backwards and forwards in the ordinary way. The Japanese
often ask great artists to make a sketch on a fan, great writers to
inscribe a few words of poetry, or celebrated men to place their
autograph on such an object ; and these they preserve as we do
photographs of friends.
Besides the folding fan peculiar to Nara, there are hand
screens, or flat fans, made in this town which we do not find in
any other part of the country. These are sometimes formed of
silk and sometimes of paper, but in all cases they are perforated
like our stencil plates, only the perforations are exceedingly fine.
Sometimes the pattern consists of diaper-work or small geometrical
figures, and at other times of flowers, animals, or birds ; but in all
cases the figure is produced by perforation.
These fans are always made by hand ; but if formed of paper
six thicknesses are cut through at the same time, while if silk is
used a smaller number of thicknesses are brought together during
the operation of cutting. The accuracy with which this perforating
is accomplished, and the minuteness of the work, causes us to
wonder at the skill of the workmen, for lines no thicker than the
shank of a medium-sized pin are commonly cut, not only in paper
but also in silk.
When these pieces are made into screens one piece is pasted
on the front and another on the back, but they are so arranged

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 453
that the perforations of one fit exactly over the perforations of
the other.

There is in Japan a material which we call crape-paper, as it
closely resembles the crimped woven fabric which we know as
crape. This is a tough, fibrous paper to which a crape-like sur
face has been given ; but the process of manufacture I did not see
during my stay in the country. I am therefore compelled to give
the description of the process which appeared in the Japanese
catalogue of the Philadelphian Exhibition : —
"The crape paper, which is a most perfect imitation of the real crape, is
made by a very ingenious and most simple process. In the first place, that
which may be called the matrix-paper is prepared by laying a moistened sheet
of strong paper on a wooden board cut with fine grooves running either parallel
or crossing one another at very small angles, and by beating it with hard brushes
so as to force it into these grooves. It is then painted over with the frequently
mentioned ' shibu,' in consequence of which operation the paper becomes so
elastic that when let go after having been stretched out it refolds by itself.
For the production of crape several sheets of thin moistened paper are laid
alternately with sheets of the above-mentioned matrix-paper, one upon the
other. The package is then wound on to a round piece of wood, and pressed
several times with a strong lever, as if it were to be stripped off from this piece
of wood. By means of this operation the soft and moistened paper is forced
into the folds of the matrix, and consequently folded in a similar manner. By
repeating this manipulation ten or twelve times, each time unrolling it in order
to change the position of the paper between the sheets of matrix-paper, and by
winding it again on the piece of wood, the paper becomes gradually folded in
all directions, the intersecting points of all these folds producing the craped
surface. Naturally, this process causes the paper to shrink considerably.
This kind of craping is done with printed pictures, and also with coloured
papers, which are used for coiffures."
Paper leathers also receive their textures in a like way, and
in the last Paris Exhibition some pieces with the coarsest of
" grain " were shown. The patterns which are embossed upon
these leather-like surfaces are almost always due to the fabric
being hammered with hard brushes upon a matrix in much the
same manner as we form the moulds in the process by which our
newspapers are stereotyped.

454 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
With regard to baskets there is nothing of importance to be
noticed, except the fact that in a large number of cases they are
formed from flat sheets of plaited work which are cut into shape
and joined together.
When thus made the basket is generally lined with a kind of
plaited work differing from that of the exterior, and the seams
are covered by strips of bamboo sewn over in basket-like fashion.
The plaited work of which the exterior of the basket is made
is formed of shreds of the bamboo, on one side of which is that
hard glossy surface characteristic of the stem of the plant, and
these sheets are plaited much in the manner of our cane bottoms
for chairs. All good baskets have as their exterior this glabrous
surface, which possesses the quality of resisting dirt to a remarkable
degree. The inner lining of the basket is formed of flat laths of
extreme thinness, which are cut from that portion of the bamboo
which remains after the silicious surface has been removed.
Common baskets, used for holding eggs and other household
purposes, are made of the inner portions of the stem, like the
lining of the better works.
Baskets are also made in Japan from the shoots of the Westeria
creeper, but these are not in general use, and there is no special
interest attaching to them. Occasionally a beautiful basket may
be seen formed of fine string of some kind instead of bamboo.
Such a basket, rubbed over with brown lacquer and dusted with
gold, is before me as I write. We have already seen that beauti
ful works are also formed of fern fronds (see page 194).
The Japanese are the best basket-makers in the world, and
they alone have raised the manufacture to an art industry. They
make baskets which are not only useful but beautiful, and many
of them must be classed as true art objects. Their forms are
carefully considered, the patterns into which the bamboo is worked
are beautiful, the contrast of open work with solid is duly appreci
ated, and the handle is often of most dainty character, while its
curve almost invariably forms a pleasant contrast with the lines
of the other parts of the work. As I write I have by my side a
number of baskets from Japan, China, Formosa, India, Jamaica,

ART, AND ART MANUFA CTURE S. 4 5 5
Ceylon, Java, Haiti, Spain, and Algeria, but none of them are
comparable as works of art with those from Japan.
Boxes are also made of fine basket-work on which lacquer
sprays are sometimes drawn, the interstices between the strips of
bamboo being filled up so that a level surface is produced where
the flower is to be drawn. Cabinets, luncheon baskets, and other
things are in some cases covered with plaited bamboo-work, and
we are all familiar with the egg-shell sachi cups covered with
basket-work. Sachi bottles similarly covered are common.
Immense bags, many feet in length, are also formed of strips of
bamboo ; these are filled with boulder-stones and then arranged
in piles as an embankment to a river, as we have already seen ;
and little nets are formed from strips of bamboo for carrying
oranges and other fruits.
The Japanese differ from all other people in the extended use
of material, and in the mingling of a number of substances in the
one object. The advantages which accrue from this use of varied
materials, and from the mingling of different substances in the one
object, is greater than we might at first suppose.
In the sections on the metal manufactures the fact was noted
that the Japanese use metals for their art qualities, and to a great
extent disregard their intrinsic worth. It is so with other materials
also, for an art workman in Japan seems to search the earth and
the seas for material with which to produce beautiful objects.
A pipe-case which I have just been inspecting is formed of
ivory, and it is decorated with inlaid sprays of bamboo and birds ;
but its interest rests in the fact that colour is given to the sprays
by the use of different kinds of material. Thus we have leaves
formed of tortoise-shell, of pearl, of gold, of oxydised silver, and
of ivory dyed green, while the birds are formed of horn, through
which coloured pigments are just visible. But each bird has a
golden eye.
By employing this variety of material richness of effect is got,
and colour is also secured ; whereas we to a great extent lose the
advantages of colour through confining ourselves to certain kinds

456 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
of materials. Fig. 197 gives a wood pipe-case in which flowers
and butterflies formed of various metals are inlaid.

Fig. 197.— Pipe-case, formed of wood, with pattern of chased inlaid metals-
gold, silver, and bronze being used in the work*.
But besides combining various substances in the one object
the Japanese use materials which no other people employ in their
manufactures. Bark is worked into trays of considerable beauty, which are
either left plain or lacquered. And bark is largely used as a
veneer, the trays being made in Nikkd and the veneer work done
chiefly in the district of Hakone.
The bark used as a veneer is of various kinds, but that most
generally employed is of ash-gray colour, with a rough and some
what suberous character. That employed for the manufacture of
the Nikk6 trays is comparatively smooth and ligneous, and appears
to be the inner bark of a cone-bearing tree. The inner layers of
a certain kind of fibrous bark are also used for the thatch of
temples ; and a roof of this material which has become celebrated in
Japan owing to the perfection of its workmanship and the time dur
ing which it has lasted, is pointed out as one of the sights of Nara.
In Japan I purchased a set of sachi cups made of orange-peel,
The rind of half an orange had been shaped into a beautiful form,
dried, and covered with a thin coating of transparent lacquer.
Internally the cup was covered with red lacquer of perfect finish.
These little cups were not mere ornaments ; they were dainty
little vessels from which the Japanese would sip their sachi, as we
should wine from a Venetian glass. And they would certainly
prove durable. But I suppose that the British workman would as
soon think of making his breakfast of cowhides as he would of
making orange-peel into cups.
I found in Tokio a manufacture which concerned itself with
the working of sea-weed into pocket-books, plaited hats, and other
things. The form of algs used was evidently a tangle. By some

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 4,57
means the salt was extracted from it, and it was rendered pliable
while the beautiful smoothness of its surface was retained.
The town of Okabe in Suruga is almost entirely devoted to
the manufacture of mats, trays, and chop-sticks, from the stems of
the common brake fern. Mats are made by a number of stems
of equal size being arranged in parallel rows and held together
by long copper pins which run crosswise through the stems, or
by being first pinned and then plaited together by a little thread
of cane. The trays are formed in the same manner, only they
are margined by one or two stems similar to those of which the
bottom part is made. The margin is generally tied to the bottom
part at two or three points by strips of cherry bark (Fig. 63).
At Yumoto-kawabata, in the province of Sagami, baskets,
which are beautiful in shape, and hats of helmet-like form, are
made from the fronds of a pinnate fern which are most ingeniously
plaited together. The pieces of frond used for this purpose are
generally about twelve or fifteen inches in length, and the pinnse
extend to about six inches on either side of the mid-rib. When
dried this frond is smooth, of soft buff colour, and leathery con
sistence ; but before being plaited the mid-rib is pared to about
one-third of its original consistency (Fig. 64).
The rind of the gourd is also used in Japan, and with it
cups, ladles, and even teapots are made. A bottle gourd which
is sawn in two lengthwise makes two excellent ladles when their
interiors are well lacquered ; but the use of the gourd, save as the
pilgrim bottle, is not general in Japan.
I have seen excellent stands, with lacquered and inlaid orna
ments upon them, formed of those fungoid masses which we some
times see protruding from the sides of trees. And I have seen a
box formed of a sea-urchin (Echinus) shell, with lacquered interior.
When the bamboo first rises from the ground the stem is
almost enveloped in large scale-like leaves like a colossal aspara
gus shoot. These, are shed when the foliacious branches make
their appearance. Such scales are somewhat scoop-shaped, as they
more or less encircle the stem. They are gray in colour, fibrous,
and slightly striated in character owing to their endogenous forma-

458 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
tion. These scales are used as veneer to much of the work now
made at Tajima ; but in this case they are most commonly cut
into little squares so arranged that the fibres of the scale run
vertically and horizontally in the alternate squares.
Flattened grass stems are also largely used for the covering of
wooden boxes ; and when dyed into many colours beautiful objects
are made with this simple material : Bamboo scales are sometimes,
though not frequently, covered with lacquer and used as scoops.
I have mentioned a number of materials used by the
Japanese in order to show English manufacturers that they do not
avail themselves of many materials capable of being formed into
beautiful objects ; but I have not even named the two which
furnish more of the useful objects of Japan than any other,
scarcely excepting clay itself. These are the bamboo and paper.
To enumerate the various uses to which the bamboo is put
would be to furnish a list altogether unreadable, for they seem to
make everything of bamboo, and to treat it in every imaginable
manner. It must be remembered that the bamboo is a tough, fibrous,
giant grass, with hollow stem divided horizontally at the knots.
Thus it consists of a series of cylindrical chambers superposed one
on the other, and separated from each other by horizontal wooden
divisions — the knots or divisions being very close to each other
near the root of the plant, and removed from each other by a con
siderable distance in the higher part of the stem. It is from these
knots that the thin shoots on which the foliage is borne are
protruded. Before me, as I write, are a series of carved boxes each made
from a section of the stem with two of the transverse divisions,
the one forming the top and the other the bottom of the box ; and
these boxes vary in height according as the joint has come from the
centre or lower portion of the stem. Here is a sachi bottle formed
of an elongated joint, and with an arched handle. On it is a
beautiful spray of the magnolia carved in the manner called cameo,
and with a bud so arranged as to become the spout from which
the sachi is poured. A plugged hole at the top permits of the

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

459

vessel being filled with the exhilarating fluid (Fig, 198). Here
is a spill bordered with a Greek key pattern, and on one side of
which a snake is carved, while on the other we have a flower,
the surface being lowered in both cases so that the figure stands

Fig. 199.— Teapot, formed of portion of bamboo
stem, with three septa.

Fig. 198. — Sachi Bottle, formed of a por-
tion of a bamboo stem, with two horizon
tal septa — one becoming the top, the
other the bottom, ofthe vessel.

Fig. 200.— Tray, formed of the carved transverse
partition of a bamboo stem {tlie dissepiment).

out in relief. But besides the carving, this beautiful spill is en
riched with a little lacquer-work, in which gold, oxydised silver,
and a warm brown colour, prevail. Here is another spill with
flowers cut upon it in intaglio. Here is a tea-box or tea-caddy
formed out of a short root joint. Here is a teapot also formed of
a root joint, with the spout carved in the thickness of the side.
A hole is made in the top, to which a lid is fitted, and the handle
consists of a tuft of lateral shoots. Here is another made out
of two cells and three of the dissepiments, the one being utilised
as the handle (Fig. 199). But before me I see scoops made of
portions of the stem, trays formed of the horizontal divisions, both
carved (Fig. 200) and plain; medicine boxes; portable writing-cases ;

460 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
a box formed by splitting a portion of the stem lengthwise ; a nest
of boxes, consisting of a number of superposed joints ; a censer in
the form of a tripod ; and many other things. But the Japanese
attach handles to portions of the stem and thus make useful ladles.
They use large joints for the carrying of water as we use pails.
They make fences of a hundred different kinds by plaiting and
intertwining the thin shoots in various ways (Figs. I to 15).
They make sun blinds by threading little bits of bamboo on
strings, as we thread beads ; they split it into laths and form
mats by attaching the strips together with threads ; they make
the spokes of their fans of bamboo. They split a stem throughout
a portion of its length and make a hand screen by spreading the
split portions and pasting paper over them. They make their
fishing-rods of the bamboo ; they convey water in bamboo stems
from which the transverse members or dissepiments have been
removed; and the gutters around their houses are formed of this
material. Their baskets are of the bamboo (willow is not used in
Japan for basket-work) ; and, by hammering it till it is reduced to
a broken and fibrous condition, they form a fuse used for blasting
operations ; while the tooth-brush is a bit of bamboo stem, with
the end rendered fibrous by hammering. These are some of the
uses to which the bamboo is put in Japan, but they are only a few
out of a multitude.
The Japanese paper is tough and fibrous, and we have seen
that they treat it in various ways so as to give to it the appear
ance of other substances. Thus they make from it a material
closely resembling leather, and also an imitation of tortoise-shell
so like the substance imitated that it might readily be taken for
the real shell. They make a paper so gossamer-like that the air
passes through it as it would through a net, and which might
almost be used for ladies' veils.
In its leather-like form paper is used for the making of pocket-
books, tobacco-pouches, pipe-cases, satchels, and for most of the
purposes to which we should apply leather. In the form of imita
tion tortoise-shell it is inlaid into cabinets and trays. Japanese
pocket-handkerchiefs are formed of paper, and some of these may

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 461
be rubbed up into a ball without their tearing, when they become
as soft as the finest cambric. Small parcels are almost invariably
tied with string formed of twisted paper. Waterproof coats are
formed of paper, as well as the "aprons" of the jinrikishas, and
paper is also put to all those uses to which we apply it in England.

I have now, so far as I could, described the arts and the art
industries of Japan, but want of space has compelled me to treat
some of the subjects imperfectly. The art of Japan is so full of
interest that a large volume and many illustrations should be
devoted to it alone ; and especially should coloured illustrations
be employed if justice is to be done to it. The manufacturing
processes are so varied and so interesting that a volume should
be devoted to their consideration also. My book may, however,
awaken some' interest in the beautiful works which Japan produces,
and throw some little light on the architecture, the art, and the
manufactures of the country. It may also lead to improvement
in our own manufactures by calling attention to excellences in
the productions of others. If it should achieve these results,
or any of them, I shall feel that my labour has been well bestowed.
Some interesting manufactures I have been unable to describe
for want of sufficient knowledge ; and one of the most interesting,
i.e. the manufacture of cloisonne enamel-work on porcelain, I have
been obliged to pass unnoticed. While in Japan I observed every
detail of the process, and after I left the country Dr. Roritz, of
Nagoya, most kindly got for me a specimen of every process in
the manufacture, and samples of all the substances used. These
were sent to the care of a London trading firm, which appears
to have sold them in mistake for their own goods. But, un
fortunately, the collection was sold in parts, and no one got a
complete set of specimens. To me they were all lost, and I had
no opportunity of analysing the substances used in the process.
The wires are attached to a biscuit-ware and not to a glazed
surface, and to this they are stuck by a gum -like substance
(probably a liquid resin or a solid volatile oil). When all

462 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
the wires have been fixed in their places, the whole work — wires
and biscuit — are smothered in a white semi-fluid matter. The
object is now dried, and sent to an oven, where the white matter
with which it has been covered becomes vitrified. But this sub
stance never actually melts. It has no tendency to run, but
simply becomes hard and gritty; is it borax? It is this substance
which fixes the wires in their places, and the whole secret of the
manufacture rests here. After the wires are thus fixed the soft
enamel colours are placed in the cells and are vitrified ; and this
process of filling and of vitrifying is repeated so that the cells be
come filled with a true enamel. The work is now ground down
till it is smooth, and the outer edges of the wires are all distinct ;
then comes a polishing process, after which the work is finished.
In all respects this manufacture resembles that of cloisonne metal
objects, save in the fixing of the wires to earth instead of
soldering them to metal, and the manufacture of the metal
cloisonne" is now so familiar as to require no description.
The whole of the manufacturing processes of Japan are con
ducted without the aid of any mechanical contrivances whatever,
and with the simplest of tools. I do not think that the country
boasts a saw of sufficient length to cut through a large log of
wood. The saw has the form of a butcher's chopper, and when
it has cut well into the angle at the end of a log, the log is turned,
and work is begun on the opposite side. By repeated turnings a
plank is cut. The plane cuts pulling towards the workman, and
so does the saw. I never saw a lathe with a continuous rotary
motion, save in the Royal Arsenal, which is nothing more than
a European workshop ; and I never but once saw a labour-saving
contrivance of any kind in the country. Rice is husked by being
placed in a sort of mortar into which a pestle falls. The pestle
is attached to a horizontal piece of wood supported by a fulcrum
in the centre. On the end opposite to the pestle a man stands ;
thus the pestle is raised : but by his jumping off the pestle falls.
By this repeated stepping on the end and jumping off the process
of husking the rice is accomplished.
In the corner of a field I once saw one of these mills with a

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES.

463

kind of bucket placed on the end of the beam where the man
would stand. A small water-spout coming from a hillside
filled this bucket with water, when it raised the pestle. But the

Fig. 201. — Humorous Sketch of a Man working a Rice Mill, who by his energy has
jerked the Fulcrum from its Socket.

act of raising upset the water, and thus let the pestle fall. A
humorous native sketch of an energetic workman, who by his
exuberant energy has displaced the beam, is given in Fig. 201 ;
and the delighted man who has found out the labour-saving con
trivance is given, together with his mill, in Fig. 202} This, as I
1 A similar contrivance is still in use in the north of England,

464

JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,

Fig. 202,— Rice Mill worke

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 465
have just said, is the only machine that I ever saw in Japan, yet
the productions of the country would lead us to infer that
machinery of an advanced character must be common. Various
forms of water-wheels are known, but during all my travels I
never saw one.
The following may be useful, as it is a list of the chief woods
of the country, with the Japanese, the English, and the botanical
name of each, the natural order to which the tree belongs, and
the chief uses to which each is put, as prepared by Motoyoshi Ono
of Tokio for the instruction of engineers, students, and merchants.
Ho-no-ki. Magnolia. Magnolia hypoleuca S. et Z. Magnoliaceae. Used
for sword scabbards and cabinet-work.
Katsura. Cercidiphyllum. Cercidiphyllum Japonicum S. et Z. Magno
liaceae. Used for furniture and boxes.
Mokkoku. Ternstrcemia. Ternstrcemia Japonica Th. Ternstrcemiacese.
Used for joinery.
Kiwada. Phellodendron. Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Xanthoxylaceae.
Used for joinery.
Kenpo-nashi. Sweet hovenia. Hovenia dulcis Th. Rhamnacese. Used
for joinery.
To-chi-no-ki. Horse-chestnut-tree. AZscidus turbinata BI. Sapindaceae.
Used for joinery.
Urushi. Lacquer-tree. Rhus vernicifera Dc. Anacardiaceae. Used for
boxes and joinery.
Yenju. Sophora. Sophora Japonica L. Leguminosae. Used for joinery.
Sakura. Cherry wood. Primus pseudocerasus Lind. Rosacea;. Used
for woodcuts and joinery.
Kaki. Persimmon wood. Diospyros kaki L. Ebenacere. Used for
joinery.
Kuro-gaki. Black persimmon. Diospyros kaki L. Ebenacese. Used
for joinery.
Yeo-o-no-ki. Styrax. Styrax Japonicum S. et Z. Styracacese. Used for
joinery and turnery.
Shoji. Kind of ash-tree. Fraxinus. Oleaceas. Used for joinery.
Kiri. Paulownia. Paulownia imperialis S. et Z. Scrophulariaceae. Used
for boxes and furniture.
Kusu. Camphor. Cinnanwmum camphora F. Nees. et Ebern. Lauracese.
Used for joinery.
Yama-giri. "Wood oil -tree. Elceococca cor data BI. Euphorbiacese.
Used for joinery.
2 H

466 JAPAN: ITS ARCHITECTURE,
Keyaki. Zelkowa (planera). Zelkowa Keaki Sieb. Urticacese. Used
for timber, joinery, furniture, etc.
Muku-ye-no-ki. Aphananthe. Aphananthe aspera PL Urticaceae.
Used for joinery.
Kuwa. White mulberry. Morus alba L. Urticacese. Used for joinery
and furniture.
Nara. Kind of oak. Quercus crispula BI. Amentiferae. Used for
handles, ships, and timber.
Shihi-no-ki. Kind of oak. Quercus cuspidata Th. Amentiferae. Used
for handles, ships, and timber.
Shira-gashi. Kind of oak. Quercus thalassica Hance. Amentiferae.
Used for handles, ships, and timber.
Aka-gashi. Kind of oak. Quercus acuta Th. Amentiferae. Used for
handles, ships, and timber.
Sawaguri. Kind of oak. Quercus sp. Amentiferae. Used for handles,
ships, and timber.
Kuri. Chestnut -tree. Castanea vulgaris Lamk. Amentiferae. Used
for boxes, joinery, furniture, and timber.
O-matsu. Black pine. Pinus Thunbergii Paralat. Coniferae. Used
for timber.
Me-matsu. Red pine. Pinus densifora S. et Z. Coniferae. Used for
timber.
Hime-ko-matsu. Yellow pine. Pinus parviflora S. et Z. Coniferae.
Used for joinery and timber.
Kara-matsu. Larch-tree. Larix leptolepis Gord. Coniferae. Used for
timber.
Momi. Fir (Coarse texture). Abies firma S. et Z. Coniferae. Used for
timber and boxes.
Shirabe. Fir (fine texture). Abies menziesii S. et Z. Coniferae. Used
for boxes and timber.
Tohi. Fir (white wood). Abies alcokiana Lindl. Coniferae. Used for
boxes and timber.
Tsuga. Fir. Abies Tsuga S. et Z. Coniferae. Used for timber.
Sugi. Japanese cedar. Cryptomeria japonica Don. Coniferae. Used
for timber and cooper's work.
Kurobe-sugi. Japanese cedar. Cryptomeria japonica Don. Coniferae.
Used for timber and cooper's work.
Hiba. Thujopsis. Thujopsis dolabrata S. et. Z. Coniferae. Used for
timber (much valued).
Nedzuko. Selaginellense Thujopsis. Thujopsis latevirens Lind. Coni
ferae. Used for timber.
Sawara. Kind of white cedar. Chamceyparis pisifera S. et Z. Coniferae.
Used for timber and cooper's work.

ART, AND ART MANUFACTURES. 467
Hi-no-ki. Kind of white cedar. Chamcccyparis obtusa S. et Z. Coniferae.
Used for timber (much valued).
Beni-byakusin. Juniperus. funiperus nipponica Maxm. Coniferae.
Used for joinery and timber.
Wa-byakudan. Arbor vitae. Thuja. Coniferae. Used for joinery.
Araragi. Yew-tree. Taxus cuspidata S. et Z. Coniferae. Used for
joinery.
Kaya. Nut-bearing tree resembling the yew-tree. Torreya nucifera Z. et S.
Used for boxes and fine timber.
Icho. Ginko tree. Ginko biboba S.et Z. Coniferae. Used for boxes and
chessboards.

THE END.

Printed l>y R. & R. Clark, Edinbiirgh,

3082